Not Quite Worthless
by scathachdhu
Summary: When an angel doesn't cut it, send in the b. Millie makes Knives uneasy, while Vash and Meryl inch slowly towards some sort of healthy relationship.
1. Default Chapter

We all know I don't own Trigun—really, now. 

Chapter 1

Her eyes.

He would never forget her eyes.

He was used to seeing them an angry violet or leached gray by sorrow or fatigue. They were staring at him now, blank with pain.

He could do nothing in the seconds that followed but support her as her weight dragged them both to the ground, her hands clutching at his shirt. He vaguely heard voices in the background; the other insurance girl's cry of anguish and the answering sound of her stungun as she took down her friend's assailant.

And his brother…his brother. Their little group had finally gotten into a sort of pattern that seemed to be doing him some good. This kind of disaster just might send him over the edge.

A movement from the woman in his arms dragged his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Why did you do that? Why would you take a bullet for someone you despise?" He demanded, as her body grew heavier.

His heart lurched as she struggled to answer. Finally, her voiced scratched out a response, "Don't get any ideas, you're still worthless." She coughed, spraying flecks of blood onto his once pristine shirt. He worried that the bullet may have hit her lungs. But when she licked her lips, the blood disappeared before welling up once again. Good--just a split lip, then.

His next random thought was that Meryl had just pressed that shirt yesterday and would be pissed as all hell to see it ruined.

He had to strain to hear the rest of what she said. "I don't expect you to understand, jackass. I'll do whatever I can to keep him happy. Even if it means," she drew in a shuddering breath, "saving a useless, immature, unemployable sociopath." That last speech seemed to drain her remaining strength and she passed out.

Millie ran over, screaming her friend's name, tossing the stungun to the side.

She felt for Meryl's pulse and lifted her head, tears streaming. "Knives! You have to go get Mr. Vash. He's still at work." She laid Meryl on the ground and began ripping strips of cloth from her own shirt. When she saw him still staring at her, her face transformed, displaying a ferocity that would not have looked out of place on Knives' own face. "Now! We don't have much time!"

Stunned into obeying, Knives stumbled to his feet and began to run to his brother. His body was still recovering from their battle two months earlier, so he knew he wouldn't make good time. Instead, he allowed his need to go out mentally, broadcasting his urgency to the other plant.

He could see others running in the opposite direction, including the town doctor, who he recognized from the man's visits to their own house. As a twinge in his legs turned into a stab of pain, he wondered irritably why he was running at all. Vash could track him by the mental summons. He let those idiot humans infect him with their sense of urgency. The small woman meant nothing to him, she was a necessary evil in order to be with his brother again. They had not stopped arguing since the day he began to speak again.

The other one…hmm. Her childlike persona concealed razor-sharp intuition and perception. Also, his careful probes showed that she really was as nice as she seemed, as pure a person as one could hope to find on this desolate planet. Needless to say, she disturbed him most of all.

He finally stopped, chest heaving, legs burning, waiting for his brother to come into sight.

Just as he was ready to start looking for him again, Vash came running around the corner, arms and legs flailing. His puppy-like rush might have been amusing at any other time. His look of worry turned into a look of horror when he caught sight of his brother. Knives was confused for a moment before looking down at himself.

His once pristine white shirt, that Meryl spent her time washing, pressing and folding for him was now soaked in her blood.

Vash almost plowed into his brother with the force of his worry, demanding to know what happened, what went wrong and where are the girls?

"They're in front of the store." Knives finally cut him off. "The small one was shot."

If possible, Vash went even paler. "This is…this is her blood?" He unconsciously dug his hands into his brother's shoulders, causing him to wince in pain.

"Go ahead without me. I don't want that hellion thinking I didn't get you." Knives peeled his brother's hand off of him and gave him a shove in the right direction.

Vash looked as though he wanted to argue, but one look at his brother's exhausted form and he simply nodded and took off again.

When he got to the town's main street, he had to push people out of the way. Once they realized who it was, they were a bit more sympathetic, and began to let him through. He fell to the ground next to Millie, who had given way to the town doctor. She looked up at him, failing miserably to hold back her tears.

"Mr. Vash." She sobbed. "I'm so glad you're here."

He craned his neck, trying to get a better view of his friend around the doctor working feverishly to save her. "Millie, Millie what happened?"

"Some men tried to shoot Mr. Knives, but Meryl jumped in front of him and took the bullet. She was so brave, but, but…" and here she couldn't continue anymore. He absently put an arm around her shoulder as she continued to sob. The noise faded into the background as his brain tried to process the new bits of information.

"Why did they try to shoot Knives?" Vash felt a moment of panic. They couldn't possibly have known who he was, could they?

"They were trying to get Meryl to go somewhere with them." Millie looked momentarily confused. "They said something about a love tunnel." She shrugged, while Vash looked pained. He was surprised she hadn't shot them herself.

"Well, Meryl had taken out one of her derringers, and I was trying to calm her down, when Mr. Knives called them ignorant monkeys for chasing after a p-poison harpy like Meryl. Then they got mad and started shooting, and Meryl knew he wasn't strong enough to dodge any bullets yet, so she ran over to him, a-and…" Millie broke off before wailing, "She was so brave, Mr. Vash!"

Meryl? Had risked her life for Knives? He firmly wrapped his other arm around Millie to keep it from grabbing Meryl as it seemed to want to. The last thing he wanted was to disturb the doctor while he was working.

"Young man? Young man, young lady, we have her stabilized, but we'll need to get her to my office right now. It was a clean exit, but she's lost a lot of blood." The older man sat back before pushing himself to his feet.

Gently releasing Millie, Vash moved forward to pick up Meryl. He allowed himself the liberty of gently pushing some hair off her forehead. God, she was so pale. Working his arms underneath her, he tried to pick her up as gently as possible.

She whimpered in pain as he jolted her getting to his feet. Whispering a heartfelt apology, he began to follow the doctor, speaking to his friend the whole while. A nagging in the back of his head made his look over to where Knives was struggling his way towards them.

"Millie," Vash said urgently. "I'm going on ahead with the doctor. Can you help my brother? I think he's overdone it today."

Brushing away her tears, Millie immediately jumped at the chance to be of use. "Sure thing, Mr. Vash. I'll take care of your brother, and you take care of Meryl." With a faint smile, she walked off, long legs eating the ground, reaching Knives in seconds.

An hour later, the doctor came out of Meryl's room with a tired smile. Vash and Millie immediately jumped up from their seats. Knives tried to look disinterested, but he listened as intently as the other two.

"She's going to be alright. That lady in there is quite a fighter. As I said earlier, the bullet went right through her chest, missing all bones and vitals. She will, however, need to stay in bed for a number of weeks, until her body replenishes all that lost blood." He took a step forward and placed a hand on Vash's shoulder, who looked as though he was afraid to believe what he was hearing.

"She'll be alright, son." The older man smiled reassuringly. Vash let out his relief in a shuddering sigh, and sat back down, resting his head in his hands.

"Can we see her?" Millie asked.

"Yes, but one at a time, and no more than five minutes. She needs rest."

Vash turned to Millie. "Why don't you go on first? I'm not sure my legs can hold me yet." He smiled at her.

"Ok."

Lifting his head from his hands, he saw his brother watching him with an odd look on his face.

"What, Knives?"

"So you care for her that much?" He asked.

"She's my friend. We've been through a lot together."

Knives was silent again. When he spoke, it was hesitant. "They were trying to kill me. She…she jumped in front of me when they fired."

Vash nodded. He felt sick fury at not having been there when it happened. His brother and his best friends; the three people most important to him in the world…

He looked up as Millie exited Meryl's room and motioned to him. His gaze landed on Millie's slightly thickening middle and silently corrected himself. Make that four most important people. He wasn't able to save Wolfwood, but he would be damned if he let anything happen to the woman and child he left behind.

"You can go on in, Mr. Vash," she whispered.

He thanked her with a smile, and walked across the small hall into Meryl's recovery room. She looked so small lying there among the pile of sheets and blankets. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed, just gazing into her face. Her cheeks seemed to have a bit more color now, and her breathing was steadier then during his dash to the doctor's office earlier that day. He took her hand in his; it was deceptively small and delicate. One wouldn't think she would be able to get as much with it as she did.

She was a frighteningly capable woman; no matter what situation she found herself in, she seemed to be able to handle it. Not calmly, and not happily, but when it counted she found a way through.

He leaned forward and lay his head on the bed next to her hip, their joined hands at eye level. Although the doctor said she would be fine, he preferred to see for himself. Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing and heart rate, putting himself into a type of trance.

His awareness traveled up Meryl's arm to her shoulder and over to her chest where the bullet had entered. To his mind's eye, the wound glowed an angry purple, but thankfully the putrid green of infection was absent. He sent a little bit of his energy into Meryl's body, prodding her marrow to produce blood cells at an accelerated rate, and allowing her torn flesh to knit together a little more easily.

He frowned to himself; there was a frailness to her that had nothing to do with the injury, as if she hadn't been in the best of health to begin with. He vowed that he would make certain she took better care of herself from now on. Millie was about due to start cutting back working on the well, so he knew he could count on her to help see to that.

When he opened his eyes, the room was dark, and a blanket had been placed over him, thanks to a kind nurse who didn't have the heart to wake him from his apparent slumber. It would be all over town the next day that the handsome blond never let go of her hand, even in his sleep.

Physical contact was necessary for his gift to help the healing process, but her story was more romantic, he supposed. He heaved a rueful sigh; Meryl would probably give him a black eye for the rumor, but it was a small price to pay for her health. He just hoped Millie and Knives were all right.

***

At that moment, his brother was lying awake in his own bed, unable to sleep. He couldn't remember anyone risking their life for his. How strange that it would be that screaming harpy disguised as an elf. From what he knew of humans, he wouldn't put it past her to take advantage of a situation to get into his brother's good graces.

But there was no way she could have known that the shot wouldn't be fatal. She threw herself in front of a person she despised, knowing full well that she could die.

All to preserve the happiness of another person. His idiot brother.

It was the opposite of his approach. He killed humans because he considered them to be a bad influence on his brother. They hurt him, time and again, both physically and emotionally. He thought that without them around, Vash would give up his asinine views.

However, when faced with the same situation, Meryl chose to save the person hurting Vash, because she knew how much the blond cared for his brother regardless of the pain he caused. She was willing to save Knives to spare Vash any further pain.

He rolled over, fixing his eyes on the sliver of moonlight coming through the window. He did not like the new ideas coursing through his mind. After more than one hundred years, he was understandably resistant to new ideas, especially when they threatened his fundamental beliefs.

Somehow, this shrewish woman and her hippie friend (he remembered the term from historical files on the ship; it seemed to suit Millie somehow) were changing his views on humans where all his brother's pleadings and Rem's teachings could not.

Meryl could not stand Knives. At all. But she never gave less than a full effort when she cared for him. He never found crumpled sheets on his bed, or dirty bandages on his wounds, or half-raw food on his plate, or any of the hundreds of other passive-aggressive ways he envisioned she would make his life hell.

He originally dismissed her efforts as transparent attempts to curry Vash's favor…but then was unable to fit her nagging and abuse of the goofy blond into his theory. Even as she berated Vash for his accident-prone, donut devouring ways, Knives also noticed the way she cared for him. She always made sure the house had donuts for him, or that his clothes remained neat and clean, no matter what he managed to do to them.

On more than one occasion, Vash had fallen asleep sitting up late in the living room, or the kitchen-one time even on the porch. He often sat up late worrying over his choices and whether he would be able to take care of everything. Meryl always made sure he woke with a blanket over him and a pillow underneath his head. He caught her doing it once, as he hobbled to the restroom in the middle of the night.

Knives also noticed, when no one else seemed to, that whenever money was tight, she was always the first to go without food. She would make excuses, claiming that she had eaten earlier, or would eat later. But Knives knew. When he confronted her one day, she simply responded that she had the least need in the house.

Vash did physical labor all day. Millie also worked, and was pregnant besides. Knives was recovering. She could make the sacrifice.

She said it all calmly, with no posturing or self-pity. It affected him enough to keep his normal cutting comments to a minimum, and they managed not to argue for the rest of the day.

Knives rolled back over, grumbling. He would never be able to sleep with that light in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

(Start Cartman voice) Why, thank you, Jaina, Arafel, angelarms and Magnet-Rose.  How nice of you. (End Cartman voice)

And Arafel—I think you're thinking of skean dhu.  Scathach was a woman who trained some of Ireland and Scotland's greatest heroes.  One of the meanings of her name is "She who strikes fear."  I figured it was a natural progression from (and sounded cooler than) "that angry black woman," which I picked up in college.  But it's so damn cool that you recognized part of my username…forgive me, I get excited when I see my love of obscure info reflected in others.

Chapter 2

Meryl's eyes fluttered open in the morning sun.  She was momentarily disoriented, as the ceiling above her head was definitely not the familiar one she had become used to over the past few months.  She ruthlessly repressed the panic threatening to engulf her; it wouldn't help.

Turning her head slowly, she was surprised to see Vash splayed out in a chair next to her bed.  His normally spiky hair drooped into his face, and his chin rested on his shoulder.  His black boots stuck out beneath the light blanket tossed over his body.  

Against her will, she felt herself softening as she looked at him.  He looked so cute sitting there, like an overgrown child.  She braced an arm underneath herself to shift slightly, and cried out at the pain this caused.

The throbbing jolted her brain, and she remembered the events of the day before.  Those men…Knives…

Vash jerked awake at her cry and immediately sprang to her side.  "Are you okay?  Should I get a doctor?"

Meryl didn't answer immediately, concentrating on taking shallow breaths.  "I'm…fine.  I just moved the wrong way, that's all."  She then blinked as he gave her the most blinding smile she had ever seen him give.

"I can't believe you're awake already.  Millie's going to be thrilled."  He said, taking her hand.  "I think I'm going to get someone to check on you anyway."

She couldn't control the blush that rushed to her face.  "Mr. Vash, I'm really fine.  Don't trouble yourself over me."  She pulled her hand out of his, embarrassed.  What was he doing?

Her protests fell on deaf ears as he rose and turned towards the door.  A sudden thought made her gasp.  "Knives!  What happened to Knives, is he okay?"

Vash stopped and gave her another smile.  "He's fine. Not a scratch on him."  He turned back.  "Thank you, Meryl.  Thank you so much for my brother's life."

Meryl, still not over her last blush, felt her face blaze up again at the unabashed gratitude and admiration in his face.  "I couldn't just stand there and let him get shot." She said softly.  "And Millie's not in any condition to pull a stunt like this."

"It's just that…I know Knives isn't one of your favorite people…" Vash gave her a wry smile.

Meryl frowned.  "I would hardly let personal feelings get in the way of saving someone's life, Mr. Vash."  Her voice was quickly returning to its normal clipped professionalism.  "Even if he is arrogant and insufferable, your brother is injured, and was in no condition to defend himself.  I wasn't going to just stand there."

Vash watched her for a moment, as she rebuilt the wall around herself.  He knew better than most what a good heart she had, and also how much work she put into protecting it.  

"Still," he said softly, "he's my only brother.  I can't help being grateful."  He hesitated, then quickly leaned over to kiss Meryl on the cheek.

"I'll get the doctor." He said cheerfully.  She watched as he bounded out of the room.

Meryl sat stiffly, not knowing what to make of his impulsive kiss.  It's nothing, she told herself.  It's just like that hug he gave you, simply an expression of gratitude between friends.  We have known each other for a few years, after all.  It's nothing to get your hopes up.

She repeated the mantra to herself even as the doctor began examining her.

Nothing at all.  Only friends.   

***

Millie's visit was predictably loud and teary, and she fussed around Meryl until her friend gently asked her to sit down.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Millie.  It can't be good for the baby." Meryl told her.  

Millie smiled.  "With this baby's parents, a little worry won't hurt it."  She patted her stomach.  "This baby will be strong."

Vash laughed.  "That's true."

"The boy is fine."  Knives stated.

Everyone looked at him in shock.  Not only for his declaration of the baby's sex, but for the fact that he spoke without prompting.  It was almost unheard of.

"You…you know it's a boy?"  Millie finally asked.  Her eyes shone as more tears threatened to fall.

Knives nodded woodenly, then looked away.

Vash broke the silence.  "Well, there you have it.  Knives would know."  He then stretched and yawned sheepishly.  

"Mr. Vash, you've been here all night!  Did you get any sleep?" Millie asked.

"A little.  I'll be alright." He yawned again.

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep?  The doctor said I'm fine."  Meryl suggested.  

"I don't want to leave you alone.  Are you sure?"

Meryl rolled her eyes.  "Yes, I'm sure.  You all need to go to work."  

"Don't worry about work."  Millie said.  "You're more important."

"No." Meryl said firmly.  She handled the finances for their little household, and she knew that they could ill afford even a day of missed wages.  "I'll be fine.  You two can check on me at the end of the day."

"I will stay with her." Knives surprised them all again.

"Knives?" Vash inquired.  The brothers shared a look; warm aqua eyes meeting ice blue.  Then Vash shrugged.  "That's settled, then.  Knives, you'll let me know if you need me."

"Don't hover, Vash.  The doctor said the woman was fine."  Knives responded.

Vash blinked, then scratched his head, laughing nervously.  "Okay, then, if you're sure."

"Broomhead…" Meryl said warningly.

He threw his hands up in surrender.  "Okay, I can take a hint.  Let's go, Millie."

Millie nodded. "Okay.  Take care of Meryl, Mr. Knives."

Knives watched as the two exited, leaving a tense silence behind.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I'll understand if you go back home." Meryl offered.

Her companion merely slanted her a look, not bothering to respond.

Meryl shrugged to herself (mentally, of course) and put it out of her mind.   She found herself growing sleepy; the short visit had taken more out of her than she realized.  Soon, she was fast asleep, Knives keeping surly vigil at her side.

***

Vash wiped his forehead.  Even though he knew better, it seemed as though another sun had appeared in the sky since the day before, increasing the heat by a third and baking him to a blond crisp.  He didn't remember the work being this hard yesterday, but simply chalked it up to the little sleep he had gotten the night before.

A jubilant shout went up down the line; the water vein they had struck a few months earlier ran under the earth for a few iles in between its source and the first well.  This meant the town would be able to access the vein in more than one place, allowing them to spread out more, and reducing reliance on the well in the center of town.

Vash watched as the water welled up, darkening the parched earth.  The initial spray died down to a burble, seeping its way from the exit point.  Vash watched as if mesmerized.  The sun hit the water in just the right angle, and it suddenly looked dark and sluggish, like blood.  

His mind imposed Meryl's small body over the seemingly blood-soaked ground, and he was barely aware of falling to his knees, hands clapped to his head.  He had seen so much death, but if he had lost Meryl so soon after Wolfwood…

Millie's concerned voice finally penetrated his agonized thoughts, and he turned a stricken face to her.  "M-Meryl…Meryl almost died yesterday.  She almost died." 

Millie's face showed her understanding.  "It's all caught up to you, hasn't it, Mr. Vash?  You handled everything so well yesterday, it was bound to happen.  You didn't really let yourself think about it until now.  Go home and get some rest, we're almost done here."

Vash shook his head blindly.  "No, I'll go see Meryl first."  He managed a shaky grin.  "Hopefully she and Knives haven't put a hole through the wall yet."

Millie patted his shoulder comfortingly.  "I'm sure they're fine.  I'll catch up with you and let the foreman know."

Vash pushed himself to his feet and gave her a more genuine smile this time.  "Thanks, Millie.  I owe you one."

The tall woman waved him off cheerfully.  "I'll see you at dinner, then!"

He watched her walk over to the foreman; to explain his absence, no doubt.  It didn't matter; Meryl was more than worth an hour of lost wages.  

***

The kind nurse waved him to Meryl's room with a smile.  "She was doing fine, the last time I checked on her.  More than fine, actually.  Her recovery is coming along very nicely."

Vash smiled in response and continued along the corridor.  He didn't hear any shouting, while both surprised and relieved him.  Hopefully Meryl had spent enough time sleeping today that she and Knives avoided their usual fights.

He knocked before entering, to find Knives seated in the same chair Vash had slept in, only it had been moved across the room.  Meryl was propped up in her bed, apparently asleep.

Knives stood a little stiffly when Vash entered.  "I thought you would still be at work."

Vash shrugged.  "I left a little early today to check on you guys.  Anything exciting happen?"

"No.  The woman has been surprisingly quiet today.  If I had known this was what it took to keep her quiet, I would have shot her long ago."  

Vash caught a faint choked noise from the hospital bed, and shook his head in exasperation.  "Knives…"

"Forget it.  I'm going back to the house." Knives took one pained step, then straightened.  The long inactivity had stiffened his recovering muscles.  Vash, knowing better than to offer assistance, watched his brother leave without another word.

As the door closed behind him, Vash walked over to Meryl's bed.  He smiled as he looked down at her face.  Her breathing was even and untroubled, and her small chest rose and fell in rhythm.  He couldn't help reaching out a hand and smoothing back a few displaced strands of hair.  

Her elfin features smoothed at his touch, and she rubbed her cheek against his fingers.  Vash's smile grew wider even as he grew more confused.  He knew she wasn't asleep, he had been aware of the fact as soon as he entered the room.   He knew why she would pretend to be asleep around Knives, but why the deception with him?

Meryl tried her best to keep her eyes closed when she heard Vash walk over to her bed.  She had expected him to try to wake her, and was perplexed at the growing silence. 

The faint whisper of his fingers traced its way across her cheek, lingering on the soft skin.  Meryl almost blew her cover, but managed to keep her eyes closed and her breathing steady.  But she couldn't help nuzzling against his hand like a pampered cat. Wait…what was she doing?

"What am I doing?" Vash murmured.  He heaved a sigh and sank to the floor, kneeling by her bedside.  "I don't know what's happening to me, Meryl."

Once again, the dark haired woman managed to suppress her start of surprise.  

"When I saw you lying there yesterday…I thought my heart would stop.  I can't…I can't bear to lose anyone else dear to me."

I'm dear to you? Oh, Vash…

His voice remained low, yet the tone was determined.  "I promise you, I won't let you be hurt anymore." He paused, then continued thoughtfully.  "It wasn't the same as when I saw Wolfwood…and that hurt bad enough…

"I don't know what it means, but you're gonna have to bear with me while I figure it out, okay?"

He smiled gently.  Meryl was trying so hard to keep up her sleeping act, but was failing miserably.  Her eyes were squeezed shut and her body was stiff as a board.  No matter.  He needed to say it, she needed to hear it, and this gave them the perfect opportunity while allowing them each to maintain the protective masks each wore just a little while longer.

He took pity on his poor friend and raised his voice.  "Meryl?  Meryl, wake up."

Meryl's eyes popped open, and she attempted to look surprised at seeing him at the side of her bed.  "Hello, Mr. Vash."

"Hello, yourself.  How do you feel?" 

Meryl smiled shyly, trying not to fidget under his warm aqua gaze.  "Achy, but I can't really complain."  

"Good."  They looked at each other in silence for a moment before Meryl cleared her throat and looked away.

"Why are you kneeling next to my bed?  Is something wrong with the chair?"

Vash sat back on his heels, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.  "No, no…it's just that Knives moved it, and I didn't think of moving it back."

Meryl shook her head disapprovingly.  "Really, Mr. Vash, sometimes I wonder how you get anything done."  She forgot herself long enough to face him again.

Despite his smile, she could see the circles under his eyes, and the drawn lines on his face.

"Have you slept?" She asked softly.  "You went straight to work, didn't you?"

"I look that bad?" he sighed melodramatically. 

Meryl's brows drew down in a concerned frown.  "The last thing we need is for you to make yourself sick worrying about me."

He leaned forward again, his smile growing wider.  "Don't worry.  You don't get a $$60 billion bounty on your head without learning to go without sleep once in a while."

"But Mr. Vash," she began earnestly.  "I'm hardly at death's door, and there's no need for you to…"

Vash found himself tuning out her well-meaning lecture and found his eyes moving over the curve of her cheek, the flutter of her lashes, the sparkle of her eyes.  

And when she pursed her mouth in disapproval, pausing between one sentence and another, he found himself moving forward almost involuntarily.  

He shook himself mentally…what had that been about?

"…and—Mr. Vash?  Mr. Vash, are you listening to me?"  She growled impatiently and forgetting her injuries, raised an arm to swat at him.  She cried out at the pain that caused her, and Vash took her hand in his from where it was still raised mid-air.

"Meryl."  He said firmly.  "Calm down.  I don't want you making yourself worse.  I promise I'll go home and get some rest soon, alright?"

"Alright."  She breathed.  Damn, that had really hurt.

When Vash was sure she wasn't going to try to attack him again, he released her hand.  Meryl gingerly pulled her arm back, mindful not to reopen her wound.

"Do you want us to bring you anything from home?  You'll probably be here another day at least."

Meryl drew in a deep breath to calm herself.  "I wouldn't mind something to read."  She coughed lightly.

Vash frowned and stood up.  "I'll get you some water."  He was gone before she could protest.

She smiled to herself sadly.  As much as she enjoyed the attention, she had no intention of letting herself get used to it.  She was certain that his attentiveness would diminish as she recovered and the initial shock of almost losing his brother began to fade.

Meryl sighed to herself as he came back in with a glass and pitcher of water.  Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone!  

I don't own Trigun…duh.

Chapter 3

Almost a month had passed since Meryl had been shot. She was almost fully recovered, although she still got tired more quickly than anyone liked. Both she and Knives had been recovering under Millie's tender tyranny. No longer working at the well, she had made it her life's mission to make sure that neither of her charges overexerted themselves. And by the same token, when she decided tender muscles needed to be exercised in order to regain their former strength, then damn it, it was time to exercise.

Knives had started going to work with Vash in order to help with the household expenses as Millie's pregnancy advanced. He worked part time, because that was as long as he could stand being around other people, or so he claimed. Vash didn't argue, just happy that Knives had agreed to leave the house at all.

Besides, it had only been a few months. He still didn't completely trust his brother yet.

Meryl had gone back to her job as a waitress, knowing they would need the money. If she took her time and didn't carry too many plates at a time, she found she didn't have to worry about aggravating her injury.

It was one day, when she slammed a tray over a miner's head in retaliation for his wandering hands that she realized to her satisfaction that the action hadn't given her more than a twinge.

Knowing that she was on the way back to being her normal violent self, Meryl went about her duties cheerfully for the rest of the day.

That evening at home, she hummed a tune as she bustled about the kitchen, helping Millie with dinner.

"What is that racket?" Knives groused as he sat at the table.

"Shut up, jackass." Meryl said pleasantly. She placed his plate in front of him with a solid thud. He looked at the food as if unsure of its safety. But no, it looked fine; she had even put extra onions on his meatloaf like he liked. He poked at his roll cautiously; it was fresh, not stale. Deeming his food worthy of his attention, he finally picked up his fork and began to eat.

Meryl ignored his behavior, having seen it more than once over their time together. Besides, she thought to herself as the other twin entered, Vash was much more pleasant to watch.

It would never do to tell him that, of course.

He walked into the kitchen, hair wet from his shower. Finishing the last buttons on his shirt, he sat down with a cheerful greeting. No matter how hard work was that day, he always seemed to be able to produce a smile for their little family.

A few months ago, that would have worried Meryl, given Vash's tendency to hide his problems behind a false smile. But she could tell that more and more of his smiles were genuine, and the lines of worry on his face were smooth more often than not.

It was a simple thing, but the fact that he no longer felt as much of a need to dissemble around her and Millie almost moved Meryl to tears on more than one occasion. She quickly hid these unstable moments behind a smile or a scowl, but she had a feeling she wasn't fooling anyone. Millie was as perceptive as ever, and Knives unfortunately seemed to share his brother's high intelligence and awareness, but unlike his brother, saw no reason to hide it.

So, this night, Meryl smiled into her mashed potatoes as Millie chirped on about her latest doctor's visit and how the baby was doing fine. She also mentioned her latest letter from home, and how excited her family was for her. Millie was too honest to lie to her family about the circumstances of her pregnancy, and while they would have preferred that it happened differently, they supported her fully, and shared her excitement.

As strange as her current situation was, she couldn't remember being happier. Looking up for a moment, she watched as Vash played with his food, drawing his fork all the way out of his mouth. He then held it in front of his nose, looking at it intently.

"Vash, really," she chided gently. "Don't play with your food."

He grinned before turning towards her. He brushed his thumb over the corner of his lower lip, catching a bit of potato he had missed earlier. Meryl suddenly found it hard to swallow as he drew the thumb into his mouth, the tip of his tongue just barely visible as he licked the tip of the digit.

"Sorry, Meryl," he drawled. His grin widened at the flustered look she tried to cover with a disapproving frown. She quickly turned her gaze back to her plate.

"Stupid!' she muttered, not sure if she referred to the blond or herself. Another glance up showed Knives watching her curiously, and she scowled at him before lowering her eyes once more.

Just eat, she told herself.

After dinner, she went to take a short shower, as it was Knives and Millie's turn to do dishes. Curiously, Knives seemed to listen to Millie, and took everything she said at face value. At first, he seemed to regard her as a sort of oddity, like a talking cat or thomas. But it seemed to have mellowed into a sort of grudging respect.

Although they had tapped a new and plentiful water supply, Meryl kept her shower short. The need to conserve water was a habit too ingrained to ignore. Even short, the shower was still refreshing after the day's work.

Even though she was still technically on duty, she had relaxed her wardrobe somewhat during the evenings, usually wearing a simple dress or loose top and pants. This evening, she walked down the hall, toweling her hair in an aqua dress that she had found cheap but secretly loved because it matched Vash's eyes. It was sleeveless, stopping just above her knees, only hinting at the delicate frame beneath.

Letting the towel hang around her neck, she came outside and sat on the porch, enjoying the evening air. She stretched out her legs, and drew in a deep breath, savoring the feeling of peace. As exciting as it had been following Vash around, moments like these were few and far between.

Unknown to her, Vash stood at the door, watching her through the screen. His face softened as she stretched out her arms, as free as any child, letting down her guards in a rare moment of solitude.

He loved her in that dress, although he'd never said it. The style was simple, but suited her. He especially loved it because it swirled around her bare legs, giving her a playful air.

Pushing the door open, he stepped onto the porch. Meryl swung her head around, startled, her eyes dark in the approaching dusk.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

"No, not all." She responded.

Vash sat next to her, stretching his long legs down the steps, at least three steps past where her own stopped. The two sat in a companionable silence for a few moments, as twilight smoothed into night.

"So how's work?" Vash's voice broke the silence.

Meryl jumped a bit. "Fine…it's fine. I'm glad to be back. We get the occasional traveler passing through, but it's mostly just regulars." She cleared her throat. "How's the well?"

"Good." He paused. "It's rewarding to work at something that benefits so many people." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I really feel good."

Meryl turned to look at him. "I'm glad. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

He turned to face her and the curve of his lips prompted an answering smile from her. "How do you feel? Still stiff?"

Meryl shook her head. "No. In fact, I think I can say I'm about fully recovered." She smiled to herself, remembering earlier that day.

"Good." He hesitated. "Meryl, now that Knives is more or less recovered…I need your advice on something."

Meryl looked surprised. "Of course, Vash."

He fidgeted; it was obviously something bothersome. "He seems like he's okay now…but I keep wondering if maybe I should take him and leave."

"Leave?" Meryl said blankly.

"I wonder if I'm just being selfish, by thinking I can have my brother and my friends at the same time. And maybe…maybe it would be better for you and Millie too."

"Better?" she parroted.

"Well, what if he goes crazy again? I'd just have to leave then anyway, and by then it might hurt you more."

Meryl could not believe what she was hearing. "You idiot."

Vash looked back over at her. "Huh?"

"You idiot." She slammed her hand onto the porch for emphasis. "It's too late. Do you honestly think that Millie or I would be hurt less by being pushed away now?"

"But…"

"But nothing! You're our friend, Vash. And we'll give you our help as long as you need it." A sudden thought occurred to her, producing a lump in her throat. "Do we really mean so little to you that you can just leave like that?"

Vash grabbed her shoulders, appalled. "No! But I'd rather hurt myself than either of you."

"Well, it's not just yourself you'd be hurting." She shrugged off his hold. "How could you think of doing that to me-Millie after all she's been through? Do you think she could stand to lose someone else dear to her?" She hoped he hadn't noticed her slip.

Vash's frustration mounted. "I'm doing it to keep you-_you both_ safe! I'll gladly leave you angry if it means you're still alive!" As he shouted, he brought his face closer to Meryl's.

Her angry brow cleared, and she said calmly, "If Knives goes back to the way he was, there will be no safe place on this planet. So I might as well be where I want." She stood, turning to go inside. "I want to be able to help you, and I can't do it from back home. So don't you dare try to leave."

With that, she stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. Vash sighed, wondering how his plan for a peaceful evening of stargazing had gone up in flames.

Meryl fumed all the way back to her room. The nerve of that man! She hadn't nursed both him and his brother back from the brink of death just to let them run off at the first sign of difficulty. She opened the door quietly, not wanting to disturb Millie. The other woman was already fast asleep, her body forming a mound under the blankets.

Not yet tired enough to sleep, Meryl decided to grab a book and read out in the kitchen. She tossed her towel on the bed, and grabbed a paperback sitting next to her typewriter. She didn't expect Vash to be back in for a while, and Knives usually spent his free time in the room he shared with his brother. Hopefully, she would be alone.

And if that idiot broomhead or his sociopath brother happened to wander in, then she would simply ignore them.

Meryl curled her legs underneath her on the kitchen chair, leaning over the book on the table. It was one of Millie's favorite romances, which meant the sigh factor was through the roof. She had meant to grab a different book, but didn't feel like going back to the room now.

The book was set in Earth's Old West, part of what used to be the United States. The hero was a lone gunslinger who fell in love with the spinster schoolmarm of a town he passed through. However, after a night of torrid passion, beyond any of her wildest imaginings, he left her to face his arch-nemesis, the evil cattle baron who had killed his father and stolen his family fortune.

Meryl put the book down and sighed. At least she got the night of passion, she thought sourly. I got night screams, bruises, and sand in awful, awful places. Eyeing the number of pages remaining, she could well guess that the handsome gunman returned victorious, and the two must live happily, passionately ever after.

Not stuck fabricating letters back to an insurance agency just for a few bucks a month.

Not stuck as a waitress in a small restaurant, doling out coffee and backhand smacks in equal amounts.

Not stuck in a surreal existence where genocide skulked and sat across the breakfast table from cheery motherhood.

Meryl never would admit it, but part of her did yearn for a romantic ending. Or beginning. Hell, any kind of romance would be nice.

Frustrated, she hurled her arm back to toss the offending book, but subsided, instead settling for dropping it to the table and shoving it across the smooth surface. It wasn't the book's fault she had no love life.

If only she weren't so afraid. Sometimes, when Vash looked at her, she thought she might have a chance. But then he would act goofy, or flirt with some passing girl, and the moment would be over. She still retained hope from his whispered words at her hospital bed weeks before-but hope is a fragile flower, and needs careful tending to thrive.

She thought she was being patient, but she supposed her idea of patience had to be different from that of a man who had lived for over 130 years.

Sighing, she arranged her arms on the table and rested her head. Her lashes felt soft as they brushed her arm; she blinked a few times to prolong the sensation before berating herself for foolishness. The warmth of the kitchen began to slow her racing thoughts, and she found herself finally relaxing.

Vash tiptoed into the kitchen when he finally heard her fidgeting and muttering stop. He smiled as he saw her; upper half splayed across the kitchen table while her legs were curled underneath her in the chair. With a gentle touch, he traced the faint shadows underneath her eyes and frowned. She still didn't sleep as much as she should, although he was glad to see that she was no longer as frail as she had been at the time of her shooting. She had put on both muscle and flesh in the past month, and it gave her a healthy glow.

He carefully eased her chair back from the table, mindful not to wake her. Bending over, he placed one arm underneath her legs (which was quite a trick, considering how she had them curled up), the other behind her back and lifted her smoothly.

She took a deep breath, filling her nose with his scent. A small smile appeared on her face as she nuzzled closer to his chest. Vash felt a twinge as her small nose burrowed into his shirt.

"Mmm…" she murmured.

He tightened his grip without waking her. Her small body was so warm, and he was having a difficult time keeping himself from nuzzling into her the way she way doing to him. Of course, it wouldn't be right for him to do that, since he was fully aware of himself and she was asleep.

He wanted her to stay asleep for the time being. If she woke up now, they would fight, and he didn't want to lose the feeling of peace he was enjoying right now.

Against his better judgment, he sat back in the chair he had just lifted Meryl from and settled her in his lap. He let one finger lightly trace over her face and it paused at her lips. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. He let out a sigh of relief and sat a few moments more, pretending things were different.

: She's not worth your anguish. :

Vash didn't bother to turn in response to his brother's mental statement. : She is. I'm not worth hers. :

: Why do you say things like that? You're worth more than any of them! :

Vash smiled sadly as he brushed a strand of hair away from Meryl's eyes. : It's lonely being superior, Knives. I'm tired of being alone. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to be hunted anymore. I want to live in peace. I want my friends. I want my brother. :

He finally lifted tortured blue eyes to those of his brother. Knives looked angry, hurt and confused all at once.

: You have me. I'm here. :

Vash shook his head. : I can't trust you. Not like I used to. :

: Like you used to. Before the abuse, you mean? Before the beatings and taunts and sideways glances? :

Vash calmly rocked Meryl as she seemed to be affected by the silent tension in the air. Her furrowed brow smoothed out and she subsided, soothed. : And how much of that have you received here? Meryl and Millie do their damnedest to take care of you; they have been since I brought you back. :

: Millie is an exception. : Knives grumbled, knowing his statement for the lie it was.

: And Meryl? :

: Harpy bitch. I don't see why you keep her around. :

: Knives. She risked her life for yours, and she doesn't even like you. Doesn't that tell you what kind of person she is? :

The other twin was silent a moment. : She just wanted your sympathy. : He finally offered weakly.

Vash began to grow angry. "And how was she to know she'd live to enjoy it?" he gritted out quietly. "Your excuses grow weaker and weaker, brother."

"Your specimens are in no way representative of the race as a whole." Knives shot back, their argument now verbal.

"What about the doctor? He let us have medicine for you on credit until we could get on our feet. And the little girl at the bakery who has a crush on you? You know she always saves you the brownie with the most caramel and nuts, even though you barely even glance at her or speak. Or Meryl's boss, who let her keep her job even though she had to be gone for a month?

"None of these people were moved by fear or hatred or greed. They were moved by their own kindness and nothing more."

"And what about Tessla, Vash? What kind of people would do that to another living being?" Knives was sure this would win him the argument.

After a pregnant pause, Vash quietly said, "What kind of man shoots off his own brother's arm and sends assassins to finish the job?"

Knives looked stricken. For a moment, Vash could see the scared little boy inside the tortured man his brother had become. The moment was quickly lost as he turned and left the kitchen. Vash sighed, hoping he hadn't pushed him too hard.

He brought one hand up to his face, fighting back tears. It was so hard not to stoop to his brother's level of bitterness, but sometimes he just couldn't help it. And he was terrified that one moment of weakness on his part would prove to be the impetus for Knives' reversion.

Suddenly, he felt a small hand wipe away his tears. He looked down to see Meryl's sleep-fuzzed gaze fixed on him. A small frown creased her brow; its fierceness diminished a bit by her obvious sleepiness.

"Don't cry, Vash." She murmured. "I'll fix it…goddamn Knives…make my Vash cry…" As he watched, her hand dropped to his shoulder, and her eyes closed again, proving she was more asleep than awake.

Vash didn't know whether to laugh or sigh in relief. He decided he'd pushed his luck enough for one night and stood up.

"I guess I'd better put you to bed." He whispered. He dropped a small kiss on her forehead. "Thanks, Meryl." Smiling broadly, he carefully left the kitchen, mindful not to wake her on his way to her room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Meryl awoke feeling refreshed and strangely at ease the next morning, considering she had gone to sleep brooding the night before.  She lounged a few extra moments, savoring the lingering feelings of warmth.

"That must have been some dream." She murmured to herself. She couldn't remember all of the details, but she knew it had to do with Vash…as did most of her dreams these days.

She could almost feel his arms around her…sigh.  Then she buried her head into her pillow.  Dammit!  That would never happen, because she was too scared to tell him how she felt.  Well, that would have to change.

It's not like she could rely on him to make the first move, she thought.  If there were ever to be the chance of a relationship between the two of them, she would have to make the first move.

The thought made her pause, then nod in satisfaction.  The more she thought about it, the better it sounded.  After all, he had been a drifter for so many years; he would hardly have any experience in getting things done in any kind of efficient manner.  

As she worked herself up, her previous pleasant haze was burned away in the heat of her rapidly churning brain.  

Vash wouldn't know what hit him. 

Meryl leapt out of bed, her practical mind already putting together a plan.  She was so caught up in her scheming that she didn't even wonder how she had made it to bed the night before. 

Knives sat up in his bed, his face a mixture of horror and fascination.  The furious buzzing of her mind had woken him from a light doze; her intentions blared to him loud and clear.  He had a fleeting thought of warning his brother, but decided that if Vash was too dull to have picked up all that noise, he was on his own.

Besides, this would give him something to observe other than Millie's baby.  The boy was interesting enough, but tended to get repetitive when he discovered something new…which for a fetus was every other minute or so.  After more than a century, he had long since gotten over the miracle of his own penis, and did not want to hear about anyone else's.

A curious feeling fluttered in his chest as he heard Meryl fly down the hall to the bathroom.  His lips began to twitch, and before he realized it, he was snickering to himself, doing his best to keep from waking his brother in the other bed.  Even as he laughed, he realized it felt awkward, as if the muscles needed to laugh had atrophied from disuse.

The idea made him sad for some reason, but he brushed it off.

Vash woke anyway, and peered at his brother curiously.  Knives gave one last chuckle, got up, dressed and walked out of the room.  Vash was worried for a moment, but since Knives' laughter didn't have that 'destroyer of worlds and bringer of doom' ring that he had grown used to hearing over the past century, he simply yawned and shrugged off his blankets.

Vash quickly dressed and ran to the kitchen where Millie was fixing breakfast.  She greeted him with a cheery smile and a plate of waffles and syrup.  Meryl entered while both men were almost done and accepted her own plate with a subdued thank-you.

She was only partway through her own breakfast when Vash said, "Breakfast was great, Millie.  You almost ready, Knives?"

His brother grunted.

Meryl began to panic. All of her courage seemed to have deserted her. If she didn't get started now, yet another day would go by, and she was afraid she would lose her nerve. She jerkily picked up her glass of milk, tossed it back like rotgut gin, then slammed it on the table.

"Vash!"  She barked.  Everyone froze, and turned to look at the dark haired woman.

"M-ma'am?" he stammered, eyes wide.  Had she figured out about the night before?  Man, she was gonna kill him!

"I…I…" Meryl hesitated, nervous with all the attention, but determined to get something out.  Instead of a civil request for his company, what came out was a snapped,  "Walk me home from work tonight." 

His face cleared, although he still looked somewhat puzzled. "O-okay.  Is anything wrong?"  He began to frown. "Is someone bothering you?"

Meryl jumped up, not wanting to lie to him.  "Oh, look, I promised I'd be in early today.  I've gotta go, thanks for breakfast Millie!" and she ran out of the kitchen. 

Millie and Vash looked at each other quizzically as Meryl's parting bellow reached them from the front door,

"YOU'D BETTER NOT FORGET, VASH!"

Knives let out another chuckle.  This only promised to get better.  "Lord, what fools these mortals be." He quoted in a low voice.

***

An excess of nervous energy kept Meryl moving all day long.  One waitress called in sick, so they were understaffed, but you wouldn't have known it the way Meryl took up the slack.  Keeping everyone's orders straight and getting their food to them as promptly as possible kept her from dwelling on what a mess she had made of everything that morning.

After running out of the house, she spent the whole walk to work berating herself.  Stupid nerves, making her foul things up with Vash.  How was snapping at him like a drill sergeant supposed to make him want to spend time with her?  He was probably scared to death now.  

No matter—the damage had been done, so she just needed to find a way to make the best of it.  She was a bright, capable woman; surely she could come up with something between now and five o'clock.  

Meryl hurried into the diner and smiled at the greeting from the owner.  Nothing like some work to calm her down.

***

Much later in the day, she was resting at an empty table.  The restaurant was empty for the moment, and she took to the time to catch her breath and fan herself with a menu.  Her pink uniform was creased, but she couldn't care less.  All she wanted was rest and a shower.  

Tom, the owner, called out to her from behind the counter, "It's about time you took a rest, Meryl.  You've been running all day. I didn't even see you eat lunch."

Meryl kept fanning herself.  "I had a quick bite.  What time is it? Two? Three?"

Tom shook his balding head in amusement.  "Meryl, it's almost five."  

She jumped up.  "Almost five?!?" she shrieked.  "No!!!"

Tom blinked. "What's happening at five?"

She threw the menu down on the floor and grabbed the sides of her head in panic.  "I'm not ready!!" she moaned.  "I can't believe I wasted all that time!" She began to wail incoherently, small body bending all sorts of ways.

Tom was a big man, maybe six feet tall and two hundred twenty pounds.  He could easily have made two or three of Meryl.  However, Tom also had a wife and three daughters, and knew the stages of imminent female meltdown when he saw them. He quickly took cover in the kitchen, knowing that no amount of reason or offers of assistance would help him now if he didn't stay out of sight.  

Meryl plopped back into her former seat, mind blank.  Then she mentally shook herself.  "It's just a walk home." She muttered.  "Just talk about your day, and things like that.  There's no need to make this more complicated than it should be."  

Tom, braving the empty dining room after hearing nothing but silence, poked his head from around the kitchen door.  "Meryl?  Everything okay out there?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good." Safety having been established, he brought the rest of his body into the dining room.  "Hey Meryl, I've got some stuff that's about to go bad. It's not spoiled yet, but it's not selling, so I don't want it to go to waste. Do you want to take it off my hands?"

"Sure." She perked up.  Free food was always welcome with their tight budget.  "What have you got?"

"It's extra from that group last week.  They ordered it all ahead of time, but the cops broke up the party before they could even get through half of it.  I've been keeping the food in the freezer, thinking they might come back since they paid for it, but," he shrugged. "Seems like they just skipped town."

Meryl looked interested.  "Party food, huh?"

"Party?" a cheerful voice broke in.  "Who's having a party?"

Meryl looked up to see Vash walk into the little restaurant.  He looked dusty and sweaty and utterly luscious in his plain tan work shirt, jeans and boots.

"Tom is letting us have the extra food from a party last week.  They never came to collect it, and he doesn't want it going to waste." Meryl explained.

Vash nodded sagely before breaking into a wide grin.  "That means we're having a party then!"

Meryl frowned.  "Vash…"

"Why not, Meryl?  We can celebrate your recovery.  We don't have work tomorrow, and we'll have all this great food."

"But…but what if Millie's already started dinner?" Meryl felt like things were seriously getting out of her control.  She didn't know if she could handle a party.

Vash shrugged.  "Then we'll have it tomorrow."  He sidled up to her and gave her his $$60 billion grin.  "Come on…what can it hurt?"

Meryl sighed, and gave in.  "Fine.  You'll have to help me carry all the stuff, though."

Tom laughed at the look on her face.  "That's okay, Meryl.  I can load it all into my grandson's old wagon, and you can pull it home.  It'll just take me a minute."  And he disappeared into the back.  

Meryl and Vash collected their things none too soon, because the after work crowd was starting to fill up the tiny place.  Meryl waved to Tom and to the other waitresses who had arrived for their shifts.  

Straightening her mantle, she walked out of the restaurant with the planet's most notorious outlaw behind her pulling a little red wagon.

Meryl slowed her normal brisk pace, wanting to savor the time alone with Vash as much as possible.  

Vash unconsciously shortened his longer stride to match her pace.  "How was work today?"  He asked.

"It was fine.  The day went by pretty fast."  She replied.  

They walked some more, stirring puffs of dust with every step.  "How has your day been?" she asked.

"Knives didn't piss anybody off, and I got to play in the water.  Now I get to walk home with a pretty girl and we're having a party tonight."  Vash said easily.  "I really can't complain."

Meryl fought mightily to keep from blushing and lost.  She clapped her hands to her face to hide her red cheeks and embarrassed smile.  She missed Vash looking down at her with an indulgent smile of his own.  

Millie had indeed started dinner, but was as excited to have a party as Vash. She declared that her jambalaya _was_ party food and would go perfectly with everything else.

"Everything else" turned out to be ice cream, frozen cookie dough, smoked salmon, crackers, and a couple of bottles of whiskey.

Vash cried tears of joy at the salmon and whiskey.  Knives looked on curiously as his brother acted the fool, and his harpy woman, well… harped.

Millie shooed Vash and Meryl out of the kitchen to shower and change, while she commandeered the other twin to help her prepare the rest of the food.  She unwrapped the salmon, while the ice cream was put away by a sulky Knives.

"Why do I have to help with the food?" he groused. 

"Well, because Vash and Meryl have been at work at day.  You've been home since lunch, so it's time for us to do our share." She responded easily.

He thought on her words as he set the cookie dough to defrost next to the stove.   He had always exhorted the superiority of the Plants, only to find a human woman who exhibited their best traits without even trying.  Sharing, nurturing, collective responsibility; these were the qualities he most cherished in his fellow Plants.  It troubled him to find them in supposedly destructive and life-sucking creatures.

Although he had yet to speak to his brother on it, Vash's words of the previous day had deeply affected him.  He loved his brother, and if anyone else had made Vash suffer the way he himself had, he would be violently displeased.

So why had he done it?  He thought deeply, setting his body on autopilot.  Vash kept letting these creatures cause him pain, even though he was more than capable of killing them and settling the problem once and for all.  And yet, Knives could tell how happy Vash was to be around people, especially these two women.  He was torn between his love for his brother and the ideals he had kept all these decades.

After a few minutes, he came to himself, realizing what task Millie had given him.

He frowned.  Why was he sitting here making cookies with the pregnant woman of one of his former minions?  Somehow, this question disturbed him most of all.

He shook his head.  Thoughts like these just made him uncomfortable, and while he would never admit it to Vash (although Knives was sure his brother knew), he was also tired.  And he also wanted his brother.  Any trouble he stirred up right now would only drive him further away.

So he ignored his dawning epiphany and concentrated on making his cookies rounder and more perfect than those of the hippie woman.  

A/N: And yes, our little Knives did indeed quote Shakespeare in this chapter.  It was from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  He always seemed like the cultured evil genius type to me, so having him quote literature didn't seem like much of a stretch.  I think he'd be a cool James Bond villain.  

Also, for those who don't know, jambalaya is a Cajun/Creole rice dish.  It can be made with seafood, chicken or sausage.  And it's damn good when it's made right.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow…I've never gotten so much response for one chapter before.  And I'm glad to see that people seem to like how I'm writing Knives.  I think he's one of the hardest characters to write (next to Millie), so I appreciate the words of support. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

Chapter 5

Vash had been a gentleman and let her take the first shower, so Meryl was now sitting on her bed in her towel, fretting over her small wardrobe.  Even though she had protested the party, she now found herself at a loss for what to wear.  She didn't want to overdress, but she didn't want to waste the chance to attract Vash's attention either.

"This is too hard," she moaned, falling on her back.  She was glad no one was around to see her acting like a teenager.  She was starting to make herself sick. 

Footsteps outside her door made her sit up just before Millie walked in.  "Meryl?  What are you doing?"

"Nothing!  I'll be down to help in a moment." Meryl forced a cheerful smile on her face.  

Millie didn't reply, simply went into Meryl's closet and pulled out a lilac dress.  "Why don't you wear this one?  I don't think you ever have." She tossed it to her friend.  "And I'm sure Mr. Vash will like it." She winked.

Meryl felt her smile become more genuine, even as her face turned a light pink.  "Thanks, Millie." 

The tall woman nodded, satisfied.  "We'll be waiting downstairs, Meryl!  Don't be too much longer!"

The door closed behind Millie, leaving Meryl clutching the dress and blinking.  She supposed she better hurry up.

She hurried into her clothes, taking the time to smooth on a scented lotion she had treated herself to a few months before.  As she pulled the dress over her head, the scent of honeysuckle rose around her and she inhaled briefly.  Taking a quick look at herself in the mirror, she allowed herself a shy smile.  This dress was sleeveless, with wide straps, a fitted bodice and a sweetheart neckline.  

She had bought it in a rare moment of weakness during one of their stops, but it remained packed away until they settled in their current spot.  It showed more skin than she was usually comfortable with, but she repressed her normal shyness—she had a plan to carry out.

Before she could lose her nerve, she ran out of the room and down the stairs to help Millie in the kitchen.  Knives was no longer there, having apparently done his good deed for the day.  The counter boasted three baking sheets dotted with mounds of cookie dough, and Millie was arranging the crackers and salmon on an empty tray.  She looked up with a big smile as Meryl came in.

"See, Meryl, I told you that was a nice dress.  You should wear it more often."  Millie turned to her friend.  "Oh yeah, and I think a few people are coming by."

"People?" Meryl echoed.  

It still took her off guard at times—she was so used to being on the run that she still found it hard to believe that the townspeople had settled back down after Vash had returned with his brother.  The men were ashamed of themselves for what they had done to a defenseless, unarmed man.  The fact that he had made no move to protect himself also was a factor in his favor.  

Meryl had even gone so far as to request a letter from the mayor of Inepril City, who happened to be related to the owner of the general store.  The whole town heard of how Vash had saved the city from the Nebraska family.  This was in spite of the fact that the residents of Inepril had attempted to kill him for the bounty on his head. 

Even after all that, he then turned around and allowed the town to collect the entire bounty on the Nebraskas; giving them money they desperately needed in order to repair their plant. These facts, in addition to Meryl and Millie's passionate and sincere pleas were more than enough to sway opinion in their favor.

Millie nodded.  "Yeah, I mean it's a party, right?  We can't eat all this food anyway."

Meryl's first instinct was to scold her friend, but then sighed. After browbeating Vash into what was supposed to be a romantic walk, she had decided to make more of an effort to loosen up a bit.  "I suppose you're right, Millie. And we deserve a little fun!" She smiled as she took the jambalaya off the heat.  

When she turned around, Millie was frowning, with one hand on her lower back.  Meryl immediately felt guilty, and made her friend sit down.  "It's alright, Millie, I can take it from here.  What's left?"

Millie looked thoughtful.  "I think that's everything…except for the cookies.  I wanted to wait almost until the last minute for those.  That way, the house can be full of the cookie smell when people get here."

Meryl smiled.  "That's a great idea."  She wished she had Millie's knack for making people feel welcome.  She checked the stove's temperature—hmm, better give it another few minutes.

Millie stretched her arms above her head, looking around the kitchen in contentment.  "You know, Meryl…"

Her friend looked up in response, questioning.

"Vash isn't like…some other men.  I don't think he feels urgency like the rest of us do."  Millie laid her hands across her rounded belly with a faint smile.  "So if you want something to happen, you'll have to give him a nudge."  

"I know." Meryl sighed.  "I'm afraid of being too forward and scaring him off.  But I'm also afraid of waiting any longer.  Look how long it's taken me to get this far."

A knock at the front door interrupted their talk, and the first of the guests called out a cheerful greeting.  Vash yelled his response from the top of the stairs, and then proceeded to rumble down them like a herd of thomases.  

Meryl barely kept her feet as Vash sprinted past her to welcome their guests.  With a frown, she began to load the cookies into the oven.  

"Stupid broomhead." She muttered. She closed the oven door to look up and see Knives watching her. He was dressed in his normal long-sleeved shirt and slacks.  "Did you need something, Knives?" she asked crisply.

"I want to know when the cookies are done." He said before going into the living room. 

***

To her surprise, Meryl wound up having a relatively pleasant evening.  Some women came by bringing extra food, someone else brought a radio and the front yard became an impromptu dance floor.  

Some of the younger women dared to lightly flirt with Knives.  The handsome blond invalid had achieved an almost mythic status among the unmarried women of the town.  His looks, mysterious background and aloof manner assured that he was the topic of many a hushed and giggly conversation.  To his companions' surprise, he accepted the attention given him, even deigning to offer his subjects a small smile or two.

Meryl braved the crowds to bring out another tray of cookies, and wound up next to an impatient Knives.  He was sitting next to a small table bearing a crumb laden serving plate. 

"You're well-behaved tonight." She remarked.  

He shrugged and picked a cookie off the tray.  Round and perfect—it must be one of his.  

"Who am I to stop them from paying me my due homage?  It's nothing less than I deserve as a superior being."  He then gave her a positively evil grin.  "Perhaps if you followed their example, you would have more luck with my brother."  He motioned to where a bashful-looking Vash was surrounded by a group of giggling females.

Meryl's gaze followed his hand, and her heart fell.

Knives continued on blithely, "And your performance this morning was nothing short of high comedy.  Or should I say tragedy?  Both words seem so apt to describe your pursuit of my brother."

Meryl froze, then calmly slid the cookies from her tray onto the empty plate.  Before Knives could recognize the glint in her eye, she swung the tray at him, catching him on the shoulder and head.

"Gimpy bastard!" she yelled before turning and stomping back into the house.  It didn't help her temper to hear the coos of concern coming from Knives' "harem."

***

Vash was deflecting yet another question about his relationship with Meryl when he heard his brother's cry of pain and watched her subsequent flight.  Sighing, he excused himself from the ladies and turned towards Knives.  To his surprise, there were no less than four women fawning over his brother, each vying to be the one to tend his injury.

He briefly wondered at the injustice of it all.  No amount of puppy-eyes or fake tomato juice wounds had ever gotten him that kind of attention.  Sighing, he turned towards the house instead, only to be blocked by Millie.  

"Here, Mr. Vash, give her this."  She handed him a glass with a colorful drink in it.  

"What is it?" he asked.

"It used to be my favorite before I got pregnant." She winked at him.

Damn, Vash thought.  There's probably enough alcohol in this to stop a sandworm.  

"I'm sure she'll enjoy it, then." He said, with a nervous laugh.  Before anything else could happen, he went into the house.

"Meryl?" he called.  She wasn't in the kitchen, and the living room was empty, too.  He was about to check upstairs when he heard a creak from the back porch.  

He pushed open the old door slowly, not wanting to startle her.  She didn't turn when he stepped onto the porch.  He sat on the steps next to her, careful not to spill the drink.  

"Sorry about Knives." He offered.  "I brought you a drink."

Meryl was silent for a moment.  Then she laid her hand on his prosthetic arm, the one Knives shot off in July.  "I think you've taken enough responsibility for his actions.   I don't blame you for anything."  She gave him a small smile and took the glass from his hand.

Vash blinked, feeling his eyes begin to sting.  "Thank you." He murmured. After another moment he asked,  "Is it anything I can help with?"

"No…no, I'll get over it."  She looked at him quizzically.  "Where's your drink?"

He scratched the back of his head.  "I forgot?"

Meryl shook her head.  "Why does that not surprise me?" she muttered, and took a hefty swig.  Her eyes widened and watered, but she managed to gasp out, "Millie?"

Vash looked at her apologetically.  "Yeah, Millie made it." 

Meryl cleared her throat, then took another small sip.  This time, the sip warmed on the way down, instead of burning a path to her stomach.

She held it out to him.  "Want some?  I know I won't be able to finish it on my own."

He accepted with a smile.  "Thanks."  He took a cautious sip.  "Not bad." 

Meryl smiled, relaxation starting to spread through her.  Maybe Millie knew what she was doing after all.  Music spilled faintly from the front yard, and she began to hum along slightly.  She took another small sip from their shared drink.

Vash looked over at Meryl without her noticing.  Her eyes were soft, and she wore a wistful smile.  And that dress was killing him.  The expanse of skin she was showing just begged for attention.  And she smelled like honeysuckle…which was quickly beginning to catch up to fresh-baked donuts as his favorite scent.

Vash recognized the danger he was in. He wanted to do something, but was all too aware that he was just tipsy enough where anything he said would more than likely come out wrong.  

Retribution would be swift and blinding.

He heaved a sigh…nothing was ever easy.  

A ragged cheer rose from the backyard, and both of them turned their heads in response.  

"Want to go check it out?"  Vash suggested.  He rose smoothly and offered Meryl his hand.  She took it and let him pull her up, for one second thinking about just letting inertia carry her into his arms.

Once upright, she wobbled a bit from the alcohol, but straightened quickly.  She didn't want to seem like some sort of drunken floozy, throwing herself all over him.

Meryl turned to him with a smile and said, "Let's go then."  He was standing on a lower step, and their faces were almost level.  She swallowed; his aqua eyes seemed darker than usual.  A lock of hair fell across his forehead, and before she could stop herself, she brushed it away from his face, her hand sliding down to linger on his cheek.

Vash's eyes widened slightly, their color deepening even more.  As Meryl began to pull her hand back, he took it in his own. Keeping her gaze all the while, he kissed her palm.  

She froze; held in thrall by both the light touch and the intensity of his gaze.  His eyes dipped momentarily to her mouth before he slid his lips down to the inside of her wrist, kissing her once more.  

Meryl stared at him, wide-eyed and incredulous until he placed a hand at her back and gently steered her into the house and towards their guests.  

For the rest of the night, she managed to act as if nothing had happened, but her arm still tingled long after the party ended. She was cleaning up the kitchen alone, having sent Millie on to bed.  Vash came in as she was finished, having just helped load the last drunken guest into a friend's car.  Knives, of course, was nowhere to be found, tending to disappear when any mention of housework was made.

"Need any help?" he asked, leaning against the door.

"No," Meryl answered, wiping a dish dry.  "I'm just about done."  She covered an unfinished tray of salmon with foil and placed it in the refrigerator.  Turning around, she saw him giving her the same look he had given her out on the porch.

"Don't." she said softly. 

He looked perplexed, and she struggled to find the words to explain.  "I mean…if it's…if you don't mean it…then don't." She turned back to face the counter, no longer able to look him in the eye.

He remained silent for a moment, then walked over to stand behind her.  She refused to face him, but could hardly ignore the heat radiating from his form.  His low voice soothed and inflamed her nerves all at once.  

"Do you really think I would toy with you?" He asked. After a pause, she shook her head, still refusing to look at him.  Vash began to trace light circles on her bare shoulder, and he smiled as her breathing changed and bumps rose on her skin.

"Good." He paused, and she could hear the smile in his voice.  "Because you know the goof isn't all there is to me…just like the insurance girl isn't all there is to you."

He lifted her seemingly boneless hand, and pressed it over her heart.  "There's a romantic in there.  You don't have to admit it, I can tell.  Listen to her sometimes.  I think she gets me."  He finally stepped back from her and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Meryl to think on his words.

Meryl was torn between chagrin that her chase had been turned on her, and glee that the lips of Vash the Stampede had actually made contact with part of her body.  And if he could reduce her to speechlessness just by kissing her wrist, she might be a gibbering idiot by the time it was all over.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed!   I can't tell you how much it's appreciated.

Ahem:  Limey stuff ahead…nothing too explicit.   An appetizer for my fellow perv, Arafel.

Chapter 6

After the night of the party, Meryl felt like her whole world had gone off-kilter.  Between working at the restaurant and helping Millie out at home, she was exhausted.  And Vash always managed to keep her off-balance these days.  

Sometimes she came home to find a tiny flower on her pillow.  Other times, he would glide calloused fingers along her skin when no one else was looking.  This left her both red-faced and flustered, and unable to explain why to a concerned Millie and an amused Knives.  

Meryl was never sure how to act.  He said he wasn't toying with her, but deep down she simply couldn't believe that Vash was flirting with her.  Her, uptight insurance girl Meryl!  This lack of self-confidence kept her from being able to respond to his overtures the way she would have liked, instead reducing her to a blushing, stammering mess.

Well, she thought ruefully, I wanted his attention.  And now I don't know what to do with it.

Her eyes followed him as he played in front of the house with some neighborhood children.  She was on the window seat, leaning her arms on the sill.  The sun hit his hair, making it shine a mellow gold.  She heard his laughter and smiled in response.  She never got a chance to really just sit and watch him, and she was glad she took the time now.  Millie was napping, Knives was in his room, so that left Meryl alone to watch the man she loved.

He turned away from her in response to one of the children, and she feasted on the long lines of his body.  His shoulders were broad, and tapered to a firm waist and lean hips.  Although lanky, he was quite well muscled, given his hundred-plus years of wandering. Following the line of his back down to his waist, she briefly wondered if his ass was as nicely muscled as the rest of him.

He turned suddenly as if he had heard her thoughts.  He grinned at her, and she gave a sheepish wave in return.  

I wonder if he heard? She thought to herself.  

"Probably.  You were loud enough about it." Knives said off-handedly as he passed her on the way to the kitchen.  

Meryl felt the blood rush to her face, and she quickly hid her embarrassment behind anger.  "Get out of my head, Knives!  Mind your own goddamn business."

Knives stepped back into the living room, unperturbed.  He held a plate of cookies in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.  Apparently, he liked chocolate chip cookies as much as his brother liked donuts.  The plant would not stand for store bought, and demanded them either bakery fresh or homemade.  Luckily, Millie didn't mind the extra baking. She found that a constant supply of cookies helped with her frequent snack cravings.

"I can hardly help it when you broadcast like that.  It would be like not hearing you when you're shouting right next to me."  He slanted her a look.  "Your mental voice is as disagreeable as your physical one."

Meryl gritted her teeth, trying her best to keep her temper.  She didn't want to wake Millie, and she knew it hurt Vash to see them argue as often as they did.  "Knives…just go back to whatever you were doing and leave me alone."  She turned back to the window and stared blindly at Vash and the children.

"You'll die, you know." He said conversationally.

Meryl paled.  Was he…?

"I'm not threatening you.  I don't have to.  It's a fact.  You will die, and Vash will live, looking the same as he does now.  We have already lived more than five of your lifespans.  What makes you think you have a chance with my brother?"  Knives asked calmly.  He sat down and dunked his cookie in the milk, somehow managing to keep from dripping on himself.

As she stared at him, stricken, he continued matter of factly, "That's if he even bothered to stay with you that long.  You are hardly the type to capture the attention of a superior being for any significant amount of time."

Meryl wanted to scream at him, to put him in his place, to hurt him like he was hurting her, but she could only sit there as his hateful words dropped calmly from his lips in between bites of cookies and milk.

She began to tremble; she wanted to do or say something, anything to take that smug look off his face. "If I'm not worth the attention of a superior being, then go away.  Stay out of my business."

"My brother is my business."

"Yes…to a point." Meryl's voice began to rise.  "You're twins, not the same person!  You don't have to share everything!  Find something to do!  Get your own friends!  Get your own hobbies!  Get your own goddamn life, Knives!  Stop obsessing over Vash and let him live!"

Knives jerked, taken aback by her vehemence.  He recovered quickly, scowling.  "You don't understand anything.  You couldn't possibly understand."  Leaving his plate and glass on the coffee table, he stood.  "And that's why you'll never have him." He stalked off, the sound of a slamming door following his exit.

Meryl drew her knees up to her face, the view out the window blurred by her tears.  Now even that simple pleasure was lost to her.  Goddamn clingy drama queen plant.  She knew better than to believe anything he said…didn't she?

As much as she fought it, a wave of despair washed over her.  She remembered as a small child being able to curl up on her mother or father's lap, and how their embrace made all her problems seem to recede.  

Not having a lap handy, she supposed to would have to settle for curling up in her bed and pulling the covers over her head.  

***

Vash finally gave up.  The tension he could feel back at the house was too much for him to be able to ignore any longer.  He had a feeling that Knives was broadcasting intentionally, but he didn't think Meryl knew he could sense her emotions.  He hadn't brought it up, because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.  There were already enough differences between them, Vash didn't want her to be afraid that her mind was not her own.

He made his excuses to the kids and began the short walk back.  It had been pretty nice there for a while, as he played with the kids and Meryl ogled him.  He blushed slightly; some of those thoughts had been pretty intense.  He loved the fact that she still fantasized about his body even after having seen his scars.

He pushed open the front door to see Meryl huddled on the window seat, obviously upset.  She jumped up at his entry and wiped her eyes.

"Damn dust." She sniffled.  "Stupid Knives left his dishes.  I'll just take them back to the kitchen."  She got up, hoping he would take the hint and leave her alone.  Instead, he pulled her into him, sitting down on the couch his brother had recently vacated.  After a half-hearted struggle, she let him pull her onto his lap.  

She sat there stiffly, him to start in immediately with uncomfortable questions.  But a few moments passed, and he did nothing but continue to hold her.  Slowly, she began to relax, and was able to enjoy the feel of his arms around her.  He'd carefully arranged her so that her head wasn't resting on his chest grate, although she could feel it underneath her hand. 

"Does it hurt?" she asked.  At his questioning look, she elaborated.  "All those implants; all that metal…does it hurt?"

He shook his head.  "Not really.  I'm used to it now."

They were quiet another few moments.  Then Meryl blurted out, "Knives is being a jerk again."

Then she groaned.  Very mature, Stryfe.

"I…gathered." Vash said carefully.  "You want to tell me what bothered you so much this time?"  

"What do you mean, this time?" Meryl scowled.

"I mean, he usually irritates you, or makes you angry…but you've never let him hurt you before."  He responded simply.  "So what was it?"

Meryl hesitated; she was still shy about speaking of their burgeoning relationship out loud.  "He said…that I would never understand you.  That I couldn't keep your attention for any amount of time.  That my lifespan was like nothing to you."

Vash was silent for a moment.  "You…you're one of the only people who's ever tried to understand and accept who and what I am."  He gave a shaky laugh.  "In over one hundred and thirty years…that has been one of the most precious gifts I've ever received.  

"I don't know how long I'm going to live," he said, "but I don't think I ever could forget you."

Meryl raised her head to look at him.  His eyes were already on her, with a slight smile curving his lips.  The grin widened as he pulled his legs closer to his body, raising Meryl's face closer to his own.  She blinked—was this actually happening, or was she going to open her eyes and find herself sitting in the window seat daydreaming again?

Vash lowered his face to hers, and paused.  "Are you going to hit me for this?"

She responded, "For trying or for stopping in the middle?"

"Any excuse to hit me…" he murmured, before lowering his mouth onto hers.  His lips were warm and soft and moist…and there was no awkwardness or fumbling quality to his touch.

Meryl ran her hand into the hair at his nape, and gently rubbed her fingers through his hair and along his skin. Her other hand remained on his chest, lightly feeling his scars through the rough-spun material.  His prosthetic hand rested on her knee, raising goose bumps as it rasped her bare skin.  The other hand was still around her back, moving in soothing circles as he continued to kiss her.

Meryl couldn't believe how good he felt.  He was warm and firm, and he was obviously doing his best not to rush her.  Eager to deepen the kiss, she wrapped both arms around his neck.  Pulling herself against him more firmly, she lightly flicked her tongue across his lips.  He responded with a happy sound, and returned the gesture, his tongue darting out to tease hers. 

She'd run both her hands into his hair by now, and was enjoying the soft feel of it between her fingers.  One of his hands had run up to her hip, while the other lightly stroked the skin at her neck.  She was getting a little uncomfortable turned in his lap like that, so she rose and quickly faced him, kneeling on the couch so that her legs were pressed against the outside of his, all without breaking the kiss.

This new, more intimate position was almost too much for him. Vash began running his hands up and down the sides of her legs, doing his best not to stray into any dangerous areas.  It was hard though—he never realized how arousing the sound of a woman's breathing could be.

Meryl, on the other hand, very much wanted his hands in one particular spot, and began getting frustrated when he continually skirted the area without delivering.  Finally, she took his hands and placed them firmly on her ass, giving a sigh of pleasure when he began to knead and massage the flesh beneath his hands.  

"Mmm…" she murmured.  

Vash broke off the kiss and began nibbling at her neck.  Meryl gasped in surprise, gripping his upper arms tightly.  This man, this sometimes awkward, goofy man who couldn't hold his liquor and cried at the drop of a hat was now working his lips over her neck as though looking for water in the desert.  Every single spot was thoroughly examined, and by the time he stopped, dropping a kiss on her shoulder, she was shaking and biting her lip to keep from calling out.

All that could be heard was heavy breathing, and the occasional muffled whimper from Meryl.  She was hot and trembly and achy and restless and she didn't know why they had stopped.    

"Knives is coming out here." Vash answered her unspoken lament.  "I'd rather not have him walk in on us."

Meryl nodded, her face buried in his neck.  She could feel him shiver as her hot breath hit his skin.  Relaxing, she let herself drop back onto his lap.

Which turned out to be a mistake. Vash groaned, and Meryl's need flared up again as she came into contact with the evidence of her effect on him.  They stared at each other helplessly for a moment.  

"Can't you tell Knives to go away?" she whispered.

Vash closed his eyes in frustration, his hips rising almost involuntarily to press against her.  She gave a soft, broken cry and dug her nails into his arms, and he tightened his hold on her.  

"Please, trust me.  It's not the right time yet."  He loosened his grip and lifted her slightly off his lap.  "Yet."

Balancing on shaky legs, she straightened her clothes and gave him an unstable smile.  "I understand.  I'll just go…somewhere."

Vash reached out a hand and stroked her cheek, the only part of her he trusted himself to touch right now.  His eyes followed her as she made her dazed way back to her room.

He closed his eyes and covered his face.  He had been mad at Knives before.  Even enraged.  But he was discovering what millions of teenagers before him had discovered: there is no rage like rage fueled by interrupted lust.  Vash briefly wondered if he could still form his angel arm, even though he had left both of their guns in the desert after their fight.

He felt Knives' surprise and hurt at Vash's angry thought.

:I've got to do something with all this energy.:  Vash responded flippantly.  He gingerly reached down to adjust himself.

Knives came into view in the doorway, shaking his head in a scolding manner.  :Why not put your energies to better use?:

:Better than what I was doing?:  Vash slanted a look at his brother.  :You've never been with a girl, have you?:

Knives frowned.  :You are so juvenile.:

Vash jumped up, his own discomfort forgotten.  "I'm right, aren't I?" He howled with glee. "You've never been with a girl."

"Now, Mr. Vash, that isn't very nice." Millie chided as she walked in.  "You shouldn't make fun of your brother for that."  She was the epitome of impending motherhood.  Sometimes it seemed as if one hand was spot-welded to her belly and the other to her lower back.  

Vash gave one last snicker and was quiet.  He couldn't feel bad about it, not when Knives had purposefully interrupted his time with Meryl.

Millie's eyes lit up at the sight of the cookies Knives had left after his earlier argument with Meryl.  Popping one into her mouth she continued,  "Maybe he just isn't ready yet.  He's not as outgoing as you are, Mr. Vash."

Knives felt the entire situation spinning out of his control, and turned to leave.  He was tired of brooding in the room, so he made his way to the back porch.  

Vash fought back a guffaw as he saw his brother leave.  He turned back to Millie who was currently finishing off the last of the cookies.  

"I wonder if we have any more chicken?"

Vash blinked at the subject change.  "No, Meryl used it for stew when Knives caught that cold."

"Would you mind going to store and getting some more?"  Millie asked.  "I really want some fried chicken tonight."

"Sure." Vash said.  "Are we out of anything else?"

"Meryl always keeps the list on the fridge."  Millie responded.

"I'll see if she wants to go." He said absently.  Maybe he could make the earlier interruption up to her with a banana sundae.

"Why don't you take Knives?" Millie suggested.  She grinned.  "He needs to relax." She took the empty plate into the kitchen, calling out behind her.  "Maybe he'll meet someone." 

Vash smiled, confused.  Something was a little off about her statement, but his mind didn't want to process it.  

It wasn't until he was walking into town with Knives that it hit him.  And it hit him hard, causing him to stumble, much to his brother's disgust.

Had Millie really suggested that his brother needed to get laid?

A/N:  I'm sorry, but Vash is not a virgin in this one.  I hang around with too many guys to ever believe one could stay a virgin for over 130 years.  Not when he's had regular contact with people over that time...and our boy does like his liquor.  He's not gonna be a slut or anything, but I could see him having had a few experiences.  I can definitely see Knives being a virgin, though, since he seems to have spent his entire life avoiding human contact.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you all for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it so much, and am glad y'all are still enjoying the story.

So I'm not the only one who thinks Knives need to get out and party a little?  Maybe if he did, he'd manage to work that stick out of his ass…

Special thanks to Arafel for pulling beta duty on this chapter!  Your help was much appreciated.

Chapter 7

_Bodies.  There were dead bodies everywhere.  _

_He knew them all.  There were people from the ship, and friends from July.  _

_He began to run, hoping against hope that he would find a survivor._

_Angel.  Dead._

_Martin.  Dead._

_Samuel, John, Ariana…all dead._

They were all faces from his past, the lines and curves of each sharply defined even through the smoke and ash.

His chest began to burn with exertion, and his eyes were blurry—whether it was sweat or tears, he couldn't tell.  But he couldn't stop; he had to see if there were any survivors.  

The ruins of July lay to his left.  Augusta lay savaged in the near distance.

Vash wiped his face and kept running; the dust stirred by his boots the only movement in the desolation.   

He turned a corner, and a familiar shape loomed before him.  Wolfwood's cross.  The priest was crumpled at its base; a thin tendril of smoke rose from a cigarette just beneath his lifeless hand.

Vash felt the tears spill from his face once more, faced with the death of his friend.  Sobs of heartache and gasps of horror fought, clawing in his chest.  A few feet away, Millie lay with one hand stretched in mute pleading; a tiny bundle clutched in her other arm.

"Stop, stop…" he pleaded soundlessly.  "No more!"  He clasped his hands to his head and ran on, clinging to a last sliver of hope.

Finally, he came to the sight he most dreaded.  Meryl lay propped up against a wall, derringers still clenched in each hand, empty ones littered about her.  She had not died easily, her mouth fixed into a rictus of pain and anger, her violet eyes covered in the film of death.

_No._

_Knives, no._

There was no doubt in his mind that his brother was responsible.  Hopelessness and anger filled his gut.  What was the point in going on?  Knives would never let him live.  He would never let Vash have any kind of happiness.

Never.

He fell to his knees, hands digging into the ground. Despair yawned before him; the stark blackness of the abyss waited to swallow him whole.

"Why must you take everything from me?" he screamed.  "They never hurt you!"

Vash.

Leave me alone, Knives!

Vash, wake up.

All you've ever done is cause me pain!  Stop it; stop hurting me!  Stop!

"Vash!  Vash, stop it!  Wake up!"  Knives shook his brother, trying to wake him, alarmed and disturbed by the emotions pouring from his brother's mind.

Vash finally opened his eyes, and Knives was shocked to see the blind fear and pain in his brother's face.  He had just enough time to notice before he flew across the room and slammed into the wall.  He lay there, crumpled and stunned, as Vash screamed over and over in apparent agony.  

Vash hadn't touched him physically.  In his pain, he had thrown his brother across the room with a concentrated telekinetic blast.   His fear more than made up for his lack of practice.

The women ran in, and Knives could feel their concern and alarm even through the thick blanket of shock dulling his senses.

Millie made her careful way over to Knives, and before he realized, she got him to his feet and gently but firmly steered him out of the room.

He shivered despite himself, as his brother's screams continued.  As much as he hated to admit it, his presence would only make things worse.

Knives had always justified his actions with his belief that they were for Vash's own good.  But somehow, after hearing Vash's screams and witnessing his utter misery—Knives' normal excuses rang hollow.  

***

Meryl's first thought was that the two were fighting again, and she briefly wondered if the house would remain standing.  But she burst into the brothers' room to see Knives lying stunned against the wall, and Vash sitting in the bed, scream after scream of anguish wracking his body.

She choked back a sob as she ran to calm him.  Vash's eyes stared blindly at first, but he made no move to push her away.  

Meryl wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.  She murmured soothing words over and over, trying to let him know that he was not alone, and that no one was in any danger.

Finally, awareness crept back into his aqua eyes, and he quieted down.  He gulped in breath after breath, shaking with effort.   "Meryl?" he asked hoarsely.  His arms slithered around her waist and tightened.

"I'm here, Vash," she said, sending a silent prayer of thanks.  "I'm here, we're all okay."

"Knives?"  He had shut himself off from his brother; unable to face whatever pain his nightmare might have caused the other plant.

"Millie's with him.  I'm sure they're both stuffing their faces by now."  Meryl shifted slightly.  She was sitting on his bed, with her back against the headboard.  He had his arms wrapped around her middle and his head pressed to her chest.  She began to run one hand through his hair, humming softly, while rocking him back and forth.  Vash's iron grip gradually eased, and he tipped his head to look her in the face.

"I'm sorry for waking you…and worrying you," he said quietly.  His voice was still rough from screaming.

"It's not your fault.  Don't apologize." Meryl said firmly.  She stopped rocking, but continued to toy with strands of his hair.  She blinked back tears as she pressed a kiss to his forehead.  "It's not your fault at all."

Vash sighed, and lowered his face once more.   Even though she was half his size, he felt comforted lying in her arms like this.  He smiled to himself; her fierce protectiveness more than made up for her small stature.

Meryl looked over at the clock.  It was almost one in the morning, so there was still enough time to get some sleep before work.  She loosened her grip on Vash and he looked up at her.

"You've sweated through your sheets," she said softly.  Her tone turned brisk.  "Why don't you go and take a quick shower?  I'll have your sheets changed when you get back."

He sat up, mouth open to protest when she cut him off.  "I know I can't stop the nightmares, but…I…" Meryl sighed. "Just…just let me do something.  Please."

Vash nodded, and rose to collect his towel and bath things.  Meryl followed him into the hall and rummaged in the linen closet as he went in the bathroom.

Meryl put her body on autopilot, efficiently stripping the bed and untwisting the blankets from where they had landed on the floor.  She shook out the spare set of sheets.  They had just been washed a few days ago, and they still smelled fresh.  She quickly made the bed, smoothing down the sheets and plumping his pillow before tossing it against the headboard.  

She had just shaken out and spread the blanket over the bed when Vash returned from his shower, a towel still hanging around his neck.  He had changed into a pair of sweatpants that were even more raggedy than the ones he had worn to bed.  His chest was bare, and Meryl could see the faint rays of the moons reflecting on the metal embedded in his skin.

"Well, I just finished, so…"  Meryl stopped and frowned when she saw that his hair was still dripping.  

"Vash, you can't go to sleep like that.  You could get sick."  Meryl scolded.  She grabbed his arm and pushed him gently towards the bed.  "Sit down.  I'll finish it for you." 

Grabbing his towel, she stood in front of him and briskly rubbed the towel into his hair, blotting all the excess water.  Vash sat there, patient and acquiescent, as she blotted and squeezed the tips of his hair.  It got to a point where Meryl had to admit to herself that his hair was as dry as she was going to get it with the now damp towel.  Anything she was doing now was purely for the pleasure of it.

"All done," she said hoarsely.  Vash looked up at her, eyes unfathomable in the dark room.  He then let his head sink forward, resting it between her breasts.

"V-Vash?" she squeaked, right before his hands came up to grasp her hips.  She laid a small hand on top of his head.

"Are you happy?" The sudden question was muffled.

"Happy?"

"Here with me.  Do I make you happy?"

Meryl flushed.  She was still not used to being open about her feelings for him. 

You make me…complete, she thought.  I feel like I'm more myself when I'm with you.  Like I couldn't be me if you were gone.  So…yes.  I am happy here with you.  

What came out was, "I wouldn't stay otherwise."

Vash raised his head, dragging his nose along her skin until their eyes met.  He couldn't help enjoying the feeling of her shivering beneath her nightshirt. 

"I just wanted to know if it was even possible.  If I could make anyone happy.  Knives hates everything I stand for.  And sometimes I think Rem would be very disappointed in how my life has turned out."  He rubbed one hand over the back of his neck, looking utterly drained.

"I think she would be disappointed for you, not with you. I think she'd be sad at all the pain you've been put through.  But I think she would understand.  I can't imagine she wouldn't love you just the same."  Her voice became more brisk.  "You should get some rest now.  Nightmares can wear anyone out."  She gave his head one last caress and leaned back, preparing to step away.  

"Thanks, Meryl."

Violet eyes softened once more.  "You know you don't have to thank me."  She couldn't help looking at his upraised face again.

He's so beautiful, she thought. It's awful that such a good person has to suffer so much.

Vash smiled faintly and reached one hand up behind her head and drew her down for a soft, sweet kiss.

Meryl pulled back after a moment, shaken by the gentle power behind his touch.  She smiled back at him before turning for the door.  "Get some rest."

Vash nodded as the door closed behind her.  For the first time ever after a nightmare, he dropped immediately back to sleep.

***

Meryl went into the kitchen to check on Millie and Knives.  Millie had begun making pudding in bulk, saving the cans for trips outside the house.  She currently had a spoon dipped into an enormous bowl of chocolate pudding, while Knives sat across from her, his plate of cookies untouched.

He looked up intently as soon as Meryl walked in, anticipating her report.

"He's all right," Meryl said.  "He's calmed down, and hopefully he'll go right back to sleep."  

Millie smiled and stood up.  "Well, that's good news.  I told you he'd be all right, Mr. Knives."

Knives didn't respond as Millie covered her pudding and put it away.  "I'm going to bed then.  Good night!"

"Good night, Millie." Meryl smiled as Millie began to climb the stairs. 

Meryl watched as Knives continued to stare at the table.  "He's not angry at you.  At least, he didn't say anything to me."  He remained silent.

"So, you can go back in there whenever you want," she continued.

Knives looked up.  His façade was cracking, and despite his usual arrogance, he seemed utterly lost.

Meryl sighed.  She was starting to feel compassion for him in spite of herself.  

Not enough to miss any more sleep, though.  Meryl was damn sure that Knives was at least partly responsible for Vash's nightmare in the first place, and couldn't help feeling a burning resentment.  "Well, I'm going to bed, Knives.  Goodnight."

Knives barely noticed as she turned and left the room.  He was stuck between wanting to justify the behavior that had caused his brother's night terrors, and his fierce love and protectiveness.  He had been there; he had felt the agony that hit Vash over and over again as he was faced with the corpses of friend and stranger alike.  

Vash felt trapped and scared by the feeding frenzy his life had become.  Every time he tried to relax and live in peace, one of his brother's henchmen would come after him again, leeching just a bit more of his life.  

Each time, they gouged out another chunk of his soul, leaving scars as ragged as those on his skin.  

Knives had never truly let himself consider what his pursuit was doing to his brother.  He saw Vash as obstinate and gullible, foolishly believing in these humans as they continued to inflict pain and suffering on him and the other plants.  Vash was so determined to stay happy that Knives was able to ignore the true effects that their battle had left on him.

It shook Knives to realize that he himself had hurt him more than any human ever could.  No human had ever caused his brother to wake up in a cold sweat or scream himself hoarse.  

Only family could do that kind of damage.  Only loved ones knew the weakest points to strike. 

And yet Vash not only refrained from killing him, but he was doing his best to make his brother feel welcome and safe.  And so were his friends.  For the first time, it hit him that these women were not here through coercion or self-interest.  He thought back on his earlier conversation with Millie.

"Why don't you hate me, Millie?"

She looked up, her light blue eyes wide with surprise.  "Why should I hate you?"

"I was responsible—however indirectly—for Wolfwood's death.  Why haven't you tried to avenge him?"

Millie was quiet for a few moments.  The somber mask looked out of place on her face.  Then she drew in a breath, and her face cleared slightly.

"Well, I can't say that I didn't resent you.  I still do sometimes, when I think of how my baby won't ever know his father.  But you were crazy then.  And now you're not."

"Crazy?" Knives was slightly offended, even as he acknowledged to himself that his behavior had been on the obsessive side.

"Well, yes." Millie blinked her large eyes at him.  "You'd been hurt so badly that your mind just snapped.  You just needed the sense beat into you, and that's what your brother did.  My Gramma always said some people had bad beat into them, and some people needed bad beat out of them.  You were both, I think."

And once again, her child-like straightforwardness had managed to stun Knives into silence.

A/N: Millie's just the shit, huh?  

She seems very southern to me, as in the southern US.  What with her coming from a big family, and being all open and welcoming and dropping her bits of homespun wisdom.  I don't think she gets enough credit.


	8. Chapter 8

Ahem.  This is the edited version.  Those of you who just have to have the smut can check out aff.net or mediaminer.org.  The story is under username Scathach at both sites.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and especially to Arafel for the beta.

Enjoy the show.

Chapter 8

Knives was more strongly affected by Vash's nightmare than anyone would have believed.  He became even more silent than usual, and any response he bothered to make was curt and unemotional.

Meryl was only worried because it bothered Vash, while Millie did her best to bring Knives back out of his shell for his own sake.  Finally, one day she asked him to accompany her into town.  She had become friends with an old woman she met at the store, and since then, Millie made an effort to visit her as often as possible.  She thought it would do Knives some good to get out of the house, and Vash and Meryl wouldn't worry about her leaving the house without accompaniment.

Had anyone but Millie made the suggestion, Knives would likely have balked, but as he considered her to be the least annoying of his housemates, he went along without complaint.

They approached a medium sized house with a small, fenced in yard.  Someone took great care in cultivating the tiny flowers and herbs that grew there.  Millie walked to the front door and knocked.  A woman in a white uniform answered.

"Why, hello Millie!  It's good to see you again."  She was of medium height and build, with a plain face and a cheerful demeanor.  Her dark hair was tucked beneath a cap.

"Hello, Sandra.  It's good to see you too.  This is Mr. Vash's brother, Mr. Knives."  Millie introduced Vash's twin, who nodded stiffly in greeting.

Sandra turned, leading them into the house.  "Well, you've got good timing.  They're both awake."

"Oh, wow!  It'll be nice to finally meet her sister.  She's been asleep every other time I've been here," Millie said.

Millie had been eager to see the two women together.  It had also occurred to her that it couldn't hurt Knives to see the interactions of another pair of siblings, especially a pair who had lived to old age.  From what Blanche had told Millie of her sister, they bickered regularly, but there was no mistaking the affectionate undertone threading through all of her stories.  She knew the two women couldn't be older than Vash and Knives, but she still hoped they could serve as a positive example. 

Sandra led them to a back parlor.  It was bright, but did not receive much direct sunlight, which kept the heat from becoming overpowering.  In the room, Knives was surprised to find two of the oldest humans he had ever seen. 

They both sat in rocking chairs, one on each side of a table.  There was a radio resting on the tabletop, and both women had all their attention focused on it.

Sandra and Millie waited patiently for the women to turn towards them.  The radio seemed to be broadcasting some an argument instead of the more familiar news or weather. 

To add to Knives' confusion, sobbing and pleas for forgiveness came from the radio.  Then, a dramatic organ chord was played, and a man's voice asked urgently, "_Who is the true father of Sierra's baby? Tune in next time."_

Only when an advertisement for a thomas stable came on did the two old ladies sigh and turn towards their guests.

The sister on the left smiled.  "Hello, Millie."  She had dark skin with surprisingly few wrinkles.  Her skin was stretched over wide, high cheekbones, and her dark eyes were almond-shaped and slightly tilted.

"Hello, Miss Blanche.  Is this your sister?"  Millie looked at the other woman.  She also had dark skin, although it was lighter than that of her sister.  She was also larger then the other woman, and her features were softer.

"Yes, honey.  This is my sister Ida Myrtle."

Millie smiled.  "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Ida Myrtle.  This is my friend Knives."

Knives continued to watch them curiously.  Most people did not live this long on Gunsmoke.  "How old are you?"  he asked abruptly.

Millie gasped, while Sandra looked incredulous.  "I'll just be on my way," the woman said softly.  She left the room, avoiding the fallout from Knives' question. 

"Boy."  Blanche fixed him with a hard look.  "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to ask a woman her age?"

"No," he said simply.  Both women gave him odd looks.  "I've never seen humans as old as you.  I was curious."

Millie hurried to defuse the situation.  "Mr. Knives had a strange childhood.  He's Mr. Vash's brother."

Both women snorted.  "Ah, yes."  Ida Myrtle said.  "That explains everything.  Some day I'll have to find out what could produce two men like you."  She shook her head.  "So pretty, and yet so socially awkward.  He plays the idiot like a genius, and you don't seem to know the basics of acting around people."

Knives studied them more closely.  Not many people could see through his brother's mask.  Perhaps their advanced age gave these two women greater insight than most of the humans he was accustomed to dealing with.

"Well, I'm glad you made it, Millie.  Myrt was driving me crazy going on about that bloom of hers.  I told her how you admired her garden, and she's wanted to show you around ever since."  Blanche rolled her eyes.

"I can't wait." Millie offered her arm to Ida Myrtle as she rose from her chair and settled herself on her walker. 

"We can stop for some iced tea in the kitchen before we go out into the garden, Millie."  Ida Myrtle said.  The two women left, Ida Myrtle's frailer arm tucked securely around Millie's sturdy frame, and animated conversation about gardening drifted back from the adjoining room.  Knives listened with half an ear, but didn't move.  Flowers were Rem's thing, not his.

"So, Knives," Blanche drawled.  "What do you think of these stories?"

Knives frowned.  "What stories?"

"Soap operas."  At his blank look, she made an incredulous noise.  "Well, honey, you'll find out in a minute."  She reached over and turned up the volume on her radio. 

_'Last time on, "Desert Rose."'_

'I will never marry you.  You only want me for my family's wealth.  My Brock will come back and rescue me!  He will rescue me!!'

Puzzled, Knives watched as the old woman leaned forward, all her attention on the small radio.  He quickly dismissed the program as melodramatic tripe, but resigned himself to bearing it until Millie returned.  He had long since perfected the art of protracted stretches of patience.

"…and so I told Myrt not to bother with that man, he would be nothing but trouble.  I didn't believe he would make her happy." Blanche had begun talking to Knives during the commercial breaks, telling him stories about her and her sister during their youth. As far as Knives was concerned, everything up until this point had been meaningless babble.

"She had always made such bad decisions in men before, I didn't feel like I could just stand there and watch her make such a huge mistake."

Knives found himself nodding in agreement; that seemed to be enough to satisfy her.

"Yeah," Blanche sighed, "but there are some things you just can't protect against.  That man wound up hurting her, just like I thought.  But her next boyfriend was a good man.  She married him, and they were happy together until he died.  I had to learn to let her be her own person, even if I am the older sister.  Getting hurt is just part of life, and everyone has to go through their own trials."

At the familiar theme song, Blanche turned her head back to the radio, and she and Knives once again immersed themselves into the world of  "Desert Rose."

"Is it done?"  Vash asked, hovering around Meryl as she stirred a pot of tomato sauce.

Meryl sighed.  "I told you, Vash, once the sauce is done, I'll need to assemble the lasagna.  Then it needs to bake."

Vash sighed, and flopped into a chair at the kitchen table.  "Why can't we just have spaghetti?  That doesn't take as long as all this!"  He waved a hand at the bowls on the counter, filled with the rest of the necessary ingredients for the dish.

"We always have spaghetti.  You need to broaden your food horizons."  Meryl held on to the last wisps of her patience with effort.

"But I'm hunnngry…" he whined.

Meryl's control snapped, and she slammed the spoon onto the stovetop.  "Vash!  I'm the one cooking and I want lasagna, so that's what we're having today."

Vash knew the warning signs, and decided to keep any further comments to himself.  Meryl fixed him with a glare for a few more moments.  Once she was certain he had stopped complaining, she turned back to the stove with a satisfied sniff.

Meryl stirred the sauce a bit more than necessary, still irritated with him.  She just wanted to give him something special for a change instead of the same old dinner.  Ingrate.

The chair scraped on the floor behind her, and a few seconds later a pair of warm lips brushed over the nape of her neck, and long arms slid around her waist.

"I'm sorry," Vash apologized.  "I didn't mean to make you mad."

Meryl sighed, and stopped stirring the sauce.  "It's okay," she murmured.  "I just wanted to do something different for dinner tonight."  She patted his hands where they rested at her waist.

"I know."  Vash sat back down.  He seemed to be more or less back to his normal self.  If there had been any more nightmares since the one that had awakened the entire household over a month ago, he had been keeping them to himself.

Since then, Meryl had continued to help Millie prepare for the baby, despite her constant worries.  The house could be cramped enough for four adults, but once the baby arrived; the inhabitants might well reach breaking point.  She made it a point to start keeping an eye out for a larger house.

At the next commercial break, Blanche blinked, and asked, "What was I talking about before?"  Before Knives could respond (even though he hadn't planned on it), she continued.  "Oh, yes, Myrt' s husband.  Well, I was right about him, the same way I was right about the rest of the men she saw.  I had taken it upon myself to chaperone the two of them while they were still courting, but I snuck out at the last minute to buy myself a new ribbon."

Knives was certain that the woman never shut up for anything other than her damn soap operas, and he couldn't remember asking for any old lady's life story.  Her reedy voice was drilling into his brain, and he almost couldn't wait for the show to come back on.

"That's when I met my husband Michael."  Knives looked over at Blanche and was disturbed to see a small smile on her face, the same kind his brother got when he talked about his elfin tyrant.  "He was traveling through town, and if I hadn't taken a moment to do something for myself that afternoon, I never would have found my happiness."

Meryl distracted herself with the tricky job of assembling the lasagna.  Sauce, noodles, filling; sauce, noodles, filling.  She lifted the heavy pan into the oven with effort, then turned to Vash.  "It just needs to bake for about forty five minutes or so."

An exaggerated leer crept across his face.  "And what will we do for forty-five minutes?"

Meryl snorted.  "The dishes?"

Vash deflated.  "We're alone in the house for the first time in…who knows how long."  He reached out a long arm, pulling her onto his lap as she sputtered in protest.  "The dishes can wait."

"And who's going to do them?  Your brother?" Meryl scoffed.

"Just relax a little, Meryl," Vash said.

He opened his legs, causing Meryl to drop slightly onto the chair's surface.  Before she could complain, he brought his hands up to her shoulders and began to knead the tense muscles.  The air she had inhaled to berate Vash with was exhaled on a sigh as the tension began to drain from her shoulders. 

His fingers found all of her sore and tight spots and massaged them away.  Meryl let her head drop forward and eyes close.

"How does that feel?"

Meryl groaned in response, and Vash laughed.  "Good." 

The normal response was to glare him into submission, but damned if his hands weren't working every last bit of aggression out of her body.  She didn't even scold him when his hands left her shoulders and traveled lower on her back, but instead leaned far enough forward to rest her arms and head on the kitchen table.  The massage was making her feel utterly pampered and decadent, as if there weren't a million and one things she needed to do around the house.

Vash worked his way down her small back, careful not to use too much force with his prosthetic arm. He smiled as Meryl sagged more and more onto the kitchen table, boneless under his ministrations. 

Finally, he ran his hands up and down her back one last time and kissed the back of her neck.  "All done," he said cheerfully. "How was it?"

Meryl sighed happily, not quite ready to lift her head from the table.  "It was wonderful," was her sincere, if muffled response.

Vash grasped her shoulders and pulled her back against his chest.  Meryl was touched by the way he made sure to arrange her so that she wasn't leaning against his grate.   She didn't think he even thought about it anymore.  She sighed in contentment as his arms wrapped around her, hands resting on her thighs.  As far as the physical aspect of their relationship went, Vash had been a gentleman, never pushing her.  Due to the cramped living conditions, they had not yet repeated their first heavy makeout session, but Vash never put any pressure on her.

On the one hand, Meryl was grateful, but on the other, she sometimes wished the choice could just be taken out of her hands.  She didn't want to be responsible for moving too fast on such an important decision.  She didn't know where her normal need for control had gone, but when it came to Vash, her self-confidence was still lacking.

"What's wrong?  You're starting to tense up again." Vash chided gently.

Meryl closed her eyes, enjoying the vibration of his voice against her back. "Sorry."

"Want to talk about it?"

Meryl opened her mouth, then closed it.  Finally she asked, "How much can you hear?  My thoughts, I mean."

Vash stiffened.  He should have known it would come up eventually.  "Does it bother you?"

"Not as much as I thought it would…you've never taken advantage like your brother."

Vash relaxed.  "Knives is more sensitive than I am.  I've spent so many years among humans that I've learned to block most thoughts.  But my brother isn't used to being around so many people, so he hears a lot more."

"How much more?"  she asked suspiciously. 

"It depends on the person." Vash laughed, nervous.  The look on her face did not bode well for Knives.

"Strong emotions and thoughts are the hardest to block.  That's why Knives picks up on you when you're angry.  That makes you even angrier, which he finds harder to block, which makes him more irritable."

Meryl was quiet for a moment.  "So all this time…"

Vash interrupted.  "Not all this time.  When we met, I blocked you the way I did everyone else."  He smiled as she turned in his lap.  "Now, it's harder and harder to keep you out."

Meryl wasn't sure what to say.  "Do you hear everything?"

Vash shook his head.  "No, not everything.  Just the stronger thoughts and emotions."  He looked at her earnestly.  "I wouldn't be so invasive."

"I don't mean to imply that I don't trust you.  It's just…something to get used to." Meryl shifted, making herself more comfortable on his lap. She sighed. 

"Don't worry about it," Vash said.  As far as he was concerned, the conversation was done.  She trusted him, and that's he all he wanted to know.  His mind was now on the important task of how to get Meryl to take advantage of the time alone with him.  He began to stroke her thighs through her skirt, and the soft caresses became bolder as she remained silent.

"Are you trying to distract me from the fact that I have next to no privacy?" Her words lacked heat.

"Maybe," he said.  His smile grew wider as she made no move to stop him.  He slipped his fingers under the edge of her shirt and began to lightly stroke her bare skin, then kissed behind her ear.  "I promise, later on I'll show you how to block your thoughts better."

Meryl's reply was cut off by the kitchen timer, and she sighed and slid off Vash's lap to take the lasagna out of the oven.  It was bubbly and golden brown on top, just as she liked it.  She drew in the aroma of tomato sauce and herbs with a satisfied breath. 

Turning around, she saw Vash sniffing the air, and his eyes darted between her and the stove.  She rolled her eyes.  Typical.   Couldn't decide whether to gorge or grope.   Vash noticed the look in her eye, and turned his back on the stove.

"Have I told you how pretty you look today?"  he told her, hoping to head off another lecture.

Meryl snorted.  "Nice try.  Don't think I didn't notice.  It should be cool enough by the time Knives and Millie get back."

Vash got a thoughtful look on his face.  "When should they be back?"

"About twenty minutes or so—hey!" Meryl yelped as Vash jumped up and swept her into his arms.   Leaving the heat of the kitchen, he walked them into the living room as Meryl sputtered.

Vash silenced her with a kiss as he set her on the couch.  He felt her sputtering indignation mellow out into an enjoyable haze, and smiled against her lips. 

He pulled back momentarily, to see her eyes that hazy shade of violet-grey that he loved.  Her lips were parted, and her hair mussed. 

"Vash," she breathed.  "What do you think we can do in twenty minutes?"

He smiled, and his aqua eyes darkened as he knelt in front of her and ran his hands up the insides of her legs, opening them slowly.

"Trust me."  Vash brushed his mouth across Meryl's as she watched him in anticipation.

Skin slid along skin, and Meryl began to shiver.

Just as expected, Knives and Millie returned to the house about twenty-five minutes after Meryl had taken the food out of the oven.  Knives had spent more than an hour listening to those "stories" with that old woman.  In spite of himself, he found them fascinating.

All the backstabbing and greed and uncontrolled lust…all of the human race's worst qualities, showcased in one hour installments.  It was all so contrived and melodramatic that he could not take it seriously…and yet the storyline had insinuated its way into his brain, distracting him with stupid questions like "Had Hope told Gerard she wanted a divorce?" or "How will Amory react when he finds out Troy is his father and not his uncle?"

The sisters themselves had captured his interest as well.  It was the first time he had spent any amount of time around another pair of siblings, and their interaction was completely different from what he expected.  In spite of Vash's sincere attempts to make his brother feel welcome, there was always an undercurrent of mistrust and sadness in their relationship. 

Blanche and Ida Myrtle argued constantly, and it seemed as if any little thing could set them off. He wondered how they settled things now that they were too old to physically fight.  As feisty as they were, he couldn't imagine the two in a gunfight, since Ida Myrtle needed both hands to support herself on her walker.

Knives was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice how Meryl served their dinner in a daze, and how Vash had an almost smug, secret grin on his face…even if he was moving a bit stiffly. 

About halfway through dinner, Millie became concerned about her friend and asked, "Aren't you going to eat, Meryl?" 

Meryl broke her staring contest with the tabletop and forced out a laugh. "I will later on, Millie.  I guess standing over the food all day made me lose my appetite."

Millie nodded slowly, then her eyes landed on Vash.   He was enjoying the lasagna with a healthy appetite, but he didn't keep his eyes off Meryl for more than a few seconds at a time.  Millie hid a sudden smile. 

"Mr. Knives, can you still help me with the dishes today?"  Millie sang out.

"Fine." he said, still distracted by the intricate schemes of  "Desert Rose."  That Monica was a piece of work.  She held every life in that small town in the palm of her hand.  She understood what a valuable currency information was, and she made it a point to have at least one secret on every person in town.  She used that power to build her own private empire.

What a magnificent bitch.

Millie helped Meryl clear the table, then sent her friend off with a plate of lasagna and an admonishment to eat it while she and Knives cleaned the kitchen.  Even though she was fairly far advanced in her pregnancy, she was determined to help with the chores as much as possible.  Standing over a sink full of dishes for too long hurt her back, so she had started using a high stool.  A woman in town had had the same difficulty during her pregnancy, and had lent it to Millie.  This way, she could still help with the dishes, even if she did need help getting on and off.

Once Knives settled her onto the stool, she began to wash and hum.  The two continued the evening shores in an easy silence.

"What did you think of our visit, Knives?" Millie asked.

Knives was jolted from soap opera land by her question.  "It was…interesting."  He paused.  "I've never seen humans that old before."

Millie smiled.  "Yes, they're very old.  People don't often live that long here. Miss Blanche says they've got good genes."

Knives grunted in response.  

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself with Miss Blanche.  What did you think of the soap operas?"

To Millie's amazement, Knives turned bright red.

"It's okay if you liked them," she said gently.  "I won't tell anyone."  She smiled. 

"Maybe I'll ask Meryl if we can afford a radio next payday."

A/N: Special thanks to theoldfart for the Knives as soap opera addict idea…you thought I wasn't gonna use it, huh?


	9. Chapter 9

For those who have asked: No, I won't be making this Knives/Millie. Sorry, but the idea of that pairing disturbs me…Also, I like the idea of Knives reforming for some reason other than falling in love. I think that boy has quite a ways to go before he can even start thinking about a woman that way.

Archeeka: I did think about where Meryl was shot in the first chapter and I apologize that it wasn't made clear. I envisioned the bullet going through high and to the right on her chest for just the reasons you pointed out. I'm glad you stuck with the story anyway. And yeah, as far as I know schoolmarm is a real word, but you do only tend to hear it in westerns.

Chapter 9

"Damn Vash."

Meryl continued to grumble as she walked to work. That man…

If she thought her hormones were annoying before where he was concerned, it was nothing compared to now. She felt like she couldn't go five minutes without thinking about him.

And she was beginning to get tired of always being on the defensive. She was constantly blushing and stammering and acting like an idiot, and she had had enough.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, heaving a sigh. What was she complaining about? Things were going as well as she could hope; better even. But Meryl demanded a certain amount of control in every aspect of her life, and Vash was no exception.

Meryl began to walk again, more slowly. Her romantic problems could wait. The most pressing problem was to find another place to live. Millie was no more than a month away from her due date, and their shared room was already cramped with the baby's cradle and clothes. Neither one of them had much in the way of possessions, but babies had a way of taking over every available space.

And if the twins' argument the night before were any indication, they would have needed the extra space soon anyway. The shouting had been indistinct, but it was loud enough to wake her. She thought about asking Vash about it when he came to pick her up after work, but decided she probably didn't want to know.

Soft moans rang in the room, vibrating through sweat-slicked skin. Delicate nails bit into flesh; a foot ran down a calloused calf. Twisted bedding had long since been thrown to the floor, and trembling bodies rose and fell. Soft lips nipped, suckled, bit—and the skin beneath quivered in response.

_Fingers wrapped gently around tapered wrists, and firmly held them to the mattress. Chests heaved as eyes met in the moment before their bodies joined. With a joyful sigh, firm heat slid into welcoming warmth. _

_"Again."_

_Hips flexed and thrust; rolled and pitched._

_"Oh, God, again…"_

_The pace quickened, and power increased. Movements became more frantic as muscles shuddered and shook._

_"More." The greedy whisper rasped along sensitized nerves._

_Bodies arched and trembled; straining, reaching…_

Knives let out a guttural shout, eyes wide and panicked. He shot up in bed, wiping the sweat from his face.

"Knives?" Vash murmured from his own bed. "What's wrong?"

Knives fought to slow his breathing. "Nothing…go back to sleep." Why was he so hot?

He stood up to walk to the window for some fresh air when he noticed something odd.

"Vash," he said tightly.

No response from his sleeping brother.

"Vash," he said, louder.

"Hmm…?" Vash didn't even turn in response.

_:VASH!:_ Knives thundered in his brother's mind. His twin fell out of bed with a yelp.

_:What? What's wrong? You said I could sleep!: _ Vash asked, still sleep-fuddled.

He looked over at his brother. Knives was facing away from him, but even in the faint moonlight, the tautened muscles in his back made his twin's rage apparent.

"What…is…this?" He bit off the end of each word.

"What's what?" Vash yawned.

Knives turned and pointed to his groin. "This! This…thing!"

Vash blinked, unsure how to respond. "Knives…you had access to the same anatomy files as I did on the ship…"

Knives cut his brother off with a sharp gesture. "I want to know why it's like this! What does it think it's doing? It has received no stimulation!"

"It pretty much has a mind of its own, Knives. Hasn't that ever happened before?"

Knives looked ready to kill. "Of course not!" he shouted.

Vash scratched his head, praying for patience. "Well, were you dreaming about something?"

Knives thought back to what had woken him. It hadn't been _his_ dream. He scowled. "Meryl," he spat.

The last of Vash's sleepiness vanished. "Meryl?" he asked. "You were dreaming about _my_ Meryl?" A low growl crept into his normally pleasant voice.

Knives looked up, startled. Vash's eyes were beginning to glow dangerously. "N-no!" He cursed himself for letting Vash frighten him for even a second. "No, it was her dream. Disgusting."

"Well, part of you obviously wasn't disgusted," Vash said dryly.

"Shut up!" Knives yelled. "It's bad enough you're going to do…_that_…but now it's in my head!"

Vash sighed. "This could be avoided if you would bother to block the way I do, Knives."

His brother grunted in response.

"I mean it," Vash insisted. "This is a small town, and I know it's hard enough on you. If we ever need to go to a more populated area, you'll be overwhelmed."

"If it means never having to deal with _this_ again, that is more than enough reason for me."

"Good." Vash yawned. "Now come on, let's go to sleep."

"But…" Knives stopped. A strange, almost helpless look crossed his face.

"What?" Vash asked.

Knives avoided Vash's gaze, turning a faint red. He did not think he could - or _should_ - have to say it aloud.

Vash stifled a chuckle. Even in the dark, he could feel his brother's embarrassment radiating off him in waves. "It's perfectly natural. Look, just go in the bathroom and take care of it."

Knives looked horrified. "Take…care of it?" he choked.

Vash lay down, pulling the covers over himself. "Or take a cold shower. Or think unsexy thoughts. Or wait it for to go away on its own. Don't worry about it so much." Unconcerned, he rolled over and dropped back to sleep.

Knives stood a few moments longer, mouth agape. Finally, he grabbed his towel and stomped to the bathroom. Cold shower it was.

By four o'clock the next afternoon, Meryl was in a much better mood. After asking around, she had heard of an available vacant boarding house. By all accounts, it was in good shape, but the town was no longer large enough to need a boarding house of that size. Everyone would have their own private space, but there was a common eating and sitting area where they could share meals. They would need furniture, but Meryl was confident they could get some secondhand.

She also had the beginnings of an idea of starting a branch of the insurance society out there. This town was one of a few small towns within a day's distance, and she had already handled a few insurance claims for people who weren't able to make it all the way to LR. She would have to see the place, of course, but she was already growing excited by the potential. It would solve all their space problems, and guarantee a better paycheck besides.

Meryl was so excited that she didn't notice the low murmur that arose in the diner at a new arrival. Only when one of her coworkers nudged her did she give herself a shake, grab a menu, and walk over to the newly occupied table.

With a warm smile, she walked over and handed the menu to the customer. "Hi, and welcome. Can I get you anything to drink?"

The woman looked up, smoky green eyes fixed on Meryl, and she smiled. "Just some water for right now, thank you."

Meryl looked back at the woman curiously. Even seated, she was tall, easily Millie's height. But unlike Millie, this woman dressed to best display her curves, and she had the attention of every man in the room. Her curly brown hair was pulled away from her face, but the sunlight still caught the warm blond and red highlights in the thick mass.

Nodding in response, Meryl walked back to the kitchen, noticing the whispers and admiring looks thrown at the lone woman. She supposed she couldn't blame them; there weren't too many visitors to the town. Not to mention that the new arrival was gorgeous.

Meryl sighed as she walked back to the woman with her drink. Sometimes she wished she could turn heads like that…or one head in particular. That was unlikely to happen with her current wardrobe. Her clothes fit well enough, but they were practical and neat, hardly meant to show off her figure.

She had put away a little money. Maybe she could splurge and buy herself something nice. This thought cheered her as she took the woman's order. She had the next day off, so she could spend it shopping for something new and interesting. Money would be tight if they decided to rent the old boarding house, but there had to be enough for a new dress or two.

The afternoon crowd thinned, and Meryl glanced at the clock. It was almost time for Vash to come pick her up. He had continued to walk her home ever since that first time, and they both enjoyed the few minutes of privacy. But today, Meryl wanted to see the boarding house. She was too excited to let it rest another day.

She untied her apron with a grateful sigh and hung it up behind the counter. "I'm off, Tom," she called. "Do you mind if I grab a drink before I go?"

Tom poked his head out of the kitchen. "Go right ahead, Meryl. You know you're welcome."

Meryl normally got herself lemonade or some iced tea, but she was feeling decadent and decided to make herself a milkshake. Soon, she was seated at one of the counter stools, engrossed in her treat. It was so delicious that she didn't even notice when Vash came in.

He noticed the new woman immediately. It was impossible to miss her—standing out as she did with her height and beauty—but he limited himself to a friendly smile. Anything more and his little insurance girl might well take off his other arm.

Seeing Meryl at the bar, he grinned to himself, watching as she upended the glass to get every drop of shake into her mouth. Sucking on her bottom lip, she savored the last bit of flavor, before lowering the glass to the counter. Meryl stuck her finger into her mouth to catch any errant drops and turned to see Vash grinning at her.

She was so cute.

She sniffed, jumped off the stool, and walked past him without a word, too embarrassed to say anything.

"Come on, Meryl," Vash called after her. "Don't be so cold!"

"Hurry up!" she snapped.

Vash shook his head, then waved to Tom before following Meryl out the door. The tall woman gave him a sympathetic smile, and he responded with a rueful shrug.

Catching up to Meryl, he matched his stride to hers as he realized they weren't going towards the house.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

Meryl looked up, squinting in the afternoon sun. "I heard about an available house and I wanted to check it out."

Vash nodded. The he asked hesitantly, "You're looking for a new place?"

"Well, we'll need the extra room once the baby comes around. It's getting too cramped where we are now." With only half her attention on the conversation, Meryl didn't hear the strange tone of Vash's voice.

His eyes flashed with hurt, but he kept his voice even. "That's true. I had thought we could manage once the baby arrived, but you have a good point."

Meryl smiled, looking off into the desert. She reached for his hand. "It's not too far from where we are now. This way, you and Knives should have enough space for yourselves. Knives should like that especially. I'm really excited about this, Vash. I hope it all works out."

Vash smiled sadly at the excited shine in her eyes and the bounce to her step. Was she really so happy to be leaving him? Granted, it couldn't be more than a ten-minute walk, but he had grown to like having Meryl so close. Maybe she was tired of caring for two grown men.

"It's an old boarding house," she continued. "It stopped getting business a while ago, so it's been vacant for a while. There's a big central kitchen and common room, and the living quarters are supposed to be spacious. You and Knives could even have your own rooms."

"You want us to come with you?" Vash blurted out.

Meryl stopped, turning to look at him in surprise. "Of course!" Then her face crumpled, and she continued more softly, "Unless you didn't want to." Pulling her hand out of his, she turned away. "I'm sorry, Vash. It was rude of me to presume."

Vash panicked. "No, no!" He waved his hands in front of himself nervously. "Of course I want to go. I just didn't think you wanted us to."

Meryl's face cleared before she scowled and slapped his arm. "Stupid Vash." She muttered. "Come on, it's just up ahead."

Vash followed as they approached the old boarding house. It was much larger than the home they were currently in. Someone had taken great care in building it, as it brought to mind the stately buildings in pictures of Old Earth. There were plenty of large windows, and a wide porch welcomed them into the house.

"Wow," Meryl said. "They said we could come by at any time, and the building is left open for us. Let's look around."

Vash pushed open the front door, instincts insisting he enter first. Inside, a stairway across from the front door rose from a spacious two-story foyer, while curved archways led to separate wings of the house. Meryl's face lit up as she ran through the left-hand doorway into another room. It looked like a library, with its built-in shelves and grand fireplace. Meryl imagined herself seated in a desk by one of the windows and sighed.

With Vash tagging along behind her, Meryl flew through the house, gauging its suitability and testing its sturdiness. She couldn't believe how right the place felt. The living quarters were roomy and well lit, and there was more than enough room for all of them. This would give them all privacy, but still allow them to socialize when they needed.

"So what do you think, Vash?" Meryl spun to face him.

Vash looked down at her shining face, and knew that even if the place had been a dump he would have said anything to keep her happy.

"I think it's great. But can we really afford all this room?"

"I think we can. It's supposed to be inexpensive, because no one else would rent it. Actually…if my plan goes as I hope, I'll be working here too. I'm going to propose that a branch of the insurance society be opened in this town. Everyone with insurance needs has to go all the way to LR, and that's at least a day's trip there and back. We can use the library as an office, and Millie won't have to worry about being alone during the day."

Vash scratched his head. "It seems like a good plan. Why don't we go home and talk it over with Millie and Knives?"

Knives waited impatiently at the dinner table. Millie never wanted to start a meal until everyone was in the house, so he had to wait for his brother and the other woman. He didn't know what was keeping them today, but he was hungry and bored, and they needed to hurry up.

Millie sat across from him, just having set the last of the dinner in the oven to keep warm. She was currently looking through a book of baby names she had picked up in town.

"Knives," Millie asked hesitantly, "You can sense my baby, right?"

He nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

She smiled. "I just wondered…what is that like? Do you talk to him? How is he?"

Knives shrugged. "He seems fine. Although, he does feel crowded right now, which is why he was kicking so much."

Millie made a face. "That wasn't fun at all. I wondered why he calmed down…not that I'm complaining."

"Well, I mentioned that it caused you discomfort, so he stopped. He has other ways to occupy himself." Knives mentally sighed. All the child did now was play with himself and pass gas. The plant wondered if all human males were so self-absorbed.

Millie smiled and patted her abdomen. "I've got a good boy! So considerate!"

Knives shrugged. He was still hungry and his brother was still not here. He decided to see how far away he was.

:I'm hungry. Hurry up.:

_:I miss you too, Knives.:_ Vash answered wryly. _:We're only about five minutes away, so calm down.:_

Knives grunted, and let his awareness of his brother fade into its usual background hum.

"They will be here shortly." Knives announced. Millie smiled.

"Good. Another ten minutes and I would have started without them."

Knives raised an eyebrow, and Millie laughed. "Mr. Knives, never _ever_ get between a pregnant woman and her food. It's not pretty."

Eyebrow still raised, he nodded.

Meryl shared the news over dinner. Millie was excited, while Knives said little. After the meal, Meryl and Millie went back to their room to draft a proposal. They wanted to mail it back to the main office as soon as possible after they received word on the house. Meryl planned to visit the owner the next day.

After the initial draft was worked out, Millie pleaded fatigue and turned in. Meryl brought her typewriter to the living room in order to work on the final version. This left the twins to cleaning the kitchen.

The two made quick work of the dishes. To the casual eye, Knives seemed no different, but Vash knew something was bothering him. Had been, in fact, since Meryl made her announcement.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Knives did not answer. Vash sighed. His brother wasn't _that_ engrossed in his search for the broom.

Finally, the hesitant response came, and it surprised Vash. _:Will you be living with the woman now?:_

Vash stopped drying the last of the dishes and turned around. _:We haven't talked about it.:_

:Do you want to?:

_:I don't know if we're ready for that step yet.:_

_:You will be. You'll leave me again.:_ Knives clenched his fists and swung away from Vash, broom forgotten.

_:Knives, we'll be in the same house.:_ Vash tried to soothe his brother.

_:But she will take up all of your time and energy. There will be nothing left for me. Again.:_

Vash wanted to weep at the pain in his brother's words. _:Knives…why can't you trust that there is room for more than one person in my heart? I can care for others without loving you any less.:_

_:Because you are **all I have**!:_ Knives roared. _:I was alone for more than one hundred years! All I wanted was my brother back! While you were out making friends and drinking and doing your best to forget me…I was alone.:_

Vash looked at his twin helplessly. His head was bowed, and he looked only moments away from a violent eruption.

_:I never forgot you. You're my brother, and I will always love you. But you frightened me. I didn't want to hurt people; I still don't. But you wouldn't listen…I had to run away.:_ Vash chose his words carefully, not wanting to set his brother off with the girls in the house.

:Since you've been here, you've met good people. Can you see why I don't want them punished for the sins of a few? If I let you have your way, Millie and Meryl would be dead. Could you live with yourself right now knowing that those two lights had been extinguished?:

Knives was silent, and Vash continued.

:I think there's a better way, a way to help our siblings without killing everyone else.:

_:I am not happy without you, Vash.: _Knives said.

:I'm not happy without you, either. But that doesn't mean I don't need and want friends. I think if you allow yourself to meet more people, you'll see what I mean.:

Knives remained silent, but Vash saw the muscles of his back relax slightly. Finally, his brother responded. _:Millie is one of the purer souls on this planet. And…the other…makes you happy. Their deaths would be…regrettable.: _

He picked the broom up and began to sweep. _:I promise nothing…but I will think more on what you have said.:_

A/N: I meant for other things to happen in this chapter…but damned if Knives and his emotional instability didn't come in and take over. Sheesh.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi! Took me a while to get through this one for some reason. Thanks to Jaina and Arafel for letting me bounce ideas off of you both. And thanks to everyone else for the encouragement and for sticking with the story.

Chapter 10

Millie sat at the kitchen table, forehead furrowed in concentration. Her delivery date was less than a month away, but she had yet to decide on a name. The baby name book she was reading was already dog-eared and worn. In typical Millie fashion, she searched for names in her own way, looking at pages in no particular order.

Vash slouched in the chair across from her, serving as a sounding board for the names as she called them out.

"David—beloved. Maybe for a middle name?"

"I like that one."

"Ezekiel—God strengthens."

"That's a mouthful for a little guy."

"Peter—Rock."

Vash laughed. "We've got enough rock on this planet, don't you think?"

"Alexander—Protector of men." Millie smiled. "That's a nice goal for a child." She flipped through the pages again. "Jason—healer."

"Healer…can't have too many of those around here."

"Andrew—Manly." Millie frowned. "I don't like that for a baby."

Vash shrugged. "Have you thought about naming him Nicholas?"

"Yes…but I want him to feel like his own person. Not a replacement or anything."

Millie she continued to flip through the book. She paused on one page, and her eyes softened.

"Isaiah—salvation of the Lord," she said. "I think…if his daddy was still alive…that this baby would have been the last thing he needed to feel redeemed…to feel saved." She wiped away a tear and smiled. "What do you think, Mr. Vash?"

Vash forced his words out around the lump in his throat. "I think Isaiah is a great name."

"Isaiah David Wolfwood." Millie patted her belly. "Oh, sweetie, we can't wait to meet you."

* * *

One week after the baby's name had been decided, Meryl received a response from the Bernardelli headquarters in December City. Her idea had been well received by the management, and the powers that be were open to her idea of setting up shop in the small town.

They were especially pleased by Meryl's proposal to use the boarding house as both home and office, as the women could then be on call at any hour of the day or night. In the response letter, they sent enough money for three months rent, plus extra for furniture and other necessities. After the first three months, another agent would be sent out in order to decide whether the building was sound enough to buy, or if it would be more cost-effective to construct a new one. The Sweetwater branch of the Bernardelli Insurance Society would be the newest office to open in the region.

Full of excitement at the news, Meryl and Millie rushed around making plans for the move. Meryl made the arrangements to rent the boardinghouse, and the owner was so grateful that someone was taking the property off his hands that he would have agreed to anything. He walked through the house with Meryl, helping her with a checklist of items they might need. There were some items left in the house, beds and a few tables and chairs, but they would need a kitchen and a dining room set, and the office needed furniture as well.

And Meryl didn't even want to think about what had been sleeping on those leftover mattresses for the last few years. Those would have to go.

Even if Millie hadn't been so close to her due date, cleaning the entire house would have been a huge task for the two women. Knives and Vash were not to be trusted with cleaning on this scale. In typical male fashion, the bigger the cleaning task, the weaker and more helpless the brothers became; until they were hardly able to move dust around with a broom. The landlord offered to arrange for some extra hands, as there were women in the town who would be happy to earn a few extra double dollars.

So with a smile on her lips and a dangerous glint in her eye, Meryl announced that the twins would spend their weekend driving to LR, loading their new kitchen and dining room furniture onto a rented truck, and driving it back.

Knives balked, scowling when Meryl asked if he would rather sleep on the floor and eat dinner standing in front of the fireplace. Millie couldn't go, and Meryl didn't want to leave her alone. That left the two men to handle it. Millie ended the argument by suggesting Knives take the opportunity to do his own shopping. He paused, then looked thoughtful and left the room.

When Meryl questioned Millie what she had meant, the taller woman simply smiled and declined to respond.

* * *

"Come on, Knives, it won't be that bad." Vash said cheerfully. "We get to go on a trip, just us guys." He loaded his bag into the back of the borrowed truck.

Knives grunted, and swung his own bag into the truckbed. It was still dark, and too damn early for his brother's nonsense.

"Do you have the list?" Meryl asked. She would have preferred to go herself, to make sure everything went smoothly. Millie stayed in bed during the sendoff, having said her goodbyes the night before.

"It'll be fine, Meryl. Don't worry so much."

She snorted in response. "Just remember what I said. Low profile. Stay out of trouble." She looked at Vash. His hair had grown out, and he no longer kept it in its trademark spikes. Even so, she worried that he might be recognized.

"Yes, dear," Vash said, smirking at Meryl's answering scowl.

"Millie and I ordered some clothes. Don't forget to stop at the store for those. All you have to do is pick them up; they're already paid for."

"Yes, yes," Vash sighed. He guessed he couldn't blame her for worrying. Trouble did have a way of following him around.

Knives nodded to Meryl and got into the truck. _:Let's go.:_

_:Just a minute.:_ Vash responded.

He leaned in closer to Meryl, enjoying the light flush that rose to her cheeks. "Will you miss me?" he asked cheekily.

"If you do what I tell you, you'll be back tomorrow. I have tons of work to do. I won't have time to miss you," Meryl muttered.

He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. _Damn that man_, Meryl thought, as her heart skipped a beat.

"You didn't answer me," he said softly.

Meryl decided it was time she took some control out of his hands. A slow smile spread across her face as she placed her hand around his neck. Eyebrows raised, he bent closer to her.

She began tracing small circles on the nape of his neck and watched his eyes darken.

"Maybe…" she said slowly.

"I'm driving across the desert to furnish our home and all I get is a maybe?" Vash shook his head with a dramatic sigh. "I need encouragement for all my hard work."

Meryl raised an eyebrow and pulled his face even closer to hers. She could feel his breath against her mouth. His eyes widened in anticipation.

She tipped her head and lightly brushed her mouth against his, pulling back when he attempted to deepen the kiss. At his puzzled noise, she moved forward once again, kissing him harder, while running her other hand along his chest. His sharp intake of breath proved that he liked that very much.

Meryl broke the kiss, enjoying the dazed look on his face. "If you do a good job, just think how glad I'll be to see you when you get back." The hand on his chest slid down to the waistband of his pants. The muscles of his abdomen tensed in anticipation, and Meryl held back a chuckle.

She smiled and stepped back, removing her hands and quirking an eyebrow. "You'd better get going. The sun will be up soon, and you want to do as much traveling before sunrise as possible."

Vash nodded dumbly, wondering where this new teasing Meryl had come from. Not that he was complaining.

She stepped around him and climbed back up the porch, giving him a cheerful wave before entering the house.

Vash blinked, then climbed into the car.

"Can we go? Maybe if we drive fast enough the sand can scour the sight of that disgusting scene from my eyeballs," Knives said.

Vash grinned and started up the truck. Not even his brother could ruin his mood now.

* * *

They arrived in LR shortly before midday. Knives was surprisingly calm, having passed the time in silence. The time spent alone with his brother was balm to his sensitive nerves, and it showed. His eyes were calmer and the seething anger normally present in his stance was banked.

He would need every bit of calm he could get. LR was easily ten times the size of their current home, and it was a struggle for Knives to adjust. His mental shield would get a workout here.

After a couple of hours, he was beginning to understand why Meryl was so snippy all the time. Looking after his brother when he'd decided to put on his idiot act was demanding, and it was a chore to keep him on task. Knives didn't want to stay in the town any longer than necessary.

The brothers took care of the easiest task first and picked up the girls' new clothes at the haberdasher. After visiting the furniture store, they arranged to pick up and load it onto the truck later when it wasn't as hot. Most of the furniture needed assembly, and were packed in boxes and flat parcels. The mattresses would be the bulkiest pieces.

The twins checked into their hotel, and set down their things. Vash looked at Knives. "Are you hungry? We should be able to find somewhere that serves both donuts and cookies."

Knives nodded, and his eyes brightened. "I want real food, not just cookies."

"Well, we can go to a bakery afterwards," Vash responded. "Let's ask downstairs."

The two men were directed to a restaurant just a few blocks away. It was small and family-run, and the smells wafting from the front door produced answering grumbles in their stomachs.

Knives was about to head in when he heard his brother's surprised laugh. There was another restaurant across the street, and his brother was pressed against its front window. With a sigh, Knives followed him, wondering what had grabbed Vash's attention this time.

The window was there to showcase the chef's abilities. Instead of cooking in an enclosed kitchen, a large flat grill was set up in the front of the restaurant. The chef took a bowl of noodles, meat and vegetables, tossed it out on the heat, and chased the food around the grill with a long wooden stick to keep it from burning. By the time the food traveled around the circular grill once, it was done.

Knives shrugged. This looked as good as anything else, so he grabbed Vash's arm and dragged him into the restaurant. They were welcomed and immediately seated.

After a glass of water, the two ordered their meals and sat in silence. After a few moments, Vash said, "I've been thinking of going to visit the plant here. Do you want to go?"

Knives looked at his brother, surprised, before nodding. It had been more than a year since he had been in contact with any plant besides Vash. "You trust me to do that?"

Vash shrugged. "I want us to get along again. If I never trust you, what's the point?"

Knives considered this. "Then you would let me go alone?"

Vash snorted. "Regardless of what you and Meryl may think of me at times, I'm not stupid. I can't expect the past few months to have changed your outlook completely."

Knives smiled. "I never thought you were stupid. Gullible, misguided, foolishly obstinate and childish - but not stupid."

Vash's brows drew down in something close to a pout. He opened his mouth to respond, but the waitress arrived with their food and his eyes lit up.

The smells rising from the heaping bowl of noodles, vegetables, meat and sauce were too much for Knives as well, and both twins dug in with healthy appetites.

_:We should ask one of the women if they know how to make this. It's _good Knives said, not wanting to stop eating long enough to speak.

Vash grunted in agreement, his attention on the meal in front of him.

After ordering seconds, the brothers sat back and relaxed for a while, letting the food settle. Vash caught the waitress' eye from across the room and motioned for the check. When she dropped it off, Vash touched the back of her wrist. She looked at him, surprised and a little wary.

Vash grinned. "I wanted to thank you for not rushing us out of here. I didn't realize we'd been here so long."

She relaxed, and smiled back. "No problem. You boys look like you've had a long day, and needed the time to relax."

Vash chatted with the woman as he paid the bill. He smiled to himself as he noticed her sneaking glances at his brother. Knives, silent as usual, seemed not to notice the attention, although Vash knew better.

Finally, Vash pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. "Well, it was nice meeting you!"

"It was nice meeting you too! I hope you boys have a safe trip back," she said.

Knives' eyes lost the faraway look they'd had since he finished eating and he rose to his feet as well. Looking at the woman, he made sure to soften his gaze from his usual contemptuous glare.

"Excuse me, miss. Could you tell us if there is a bakery around here?" he asked.

The waitress almost swooned. What a voice. The other twin was cute, but this one…something about him just couldn't help but attract female attention. She cleared her throat and gave them directions to one not too far away.

"Do they have good cookies?" Knives asked, all seriousness.

"Oh yes," she responded.

"Great! We'll trust your judgment," Vash said cheerfully.

Knives gave her a slow smile and turned towards the door. After a surprised blink, Vash winked at the waitress and followed his brother outside.

The woman let out a huge sigh and placed a hand on the table to support herself. The cook was taking a break at an empty table and laughed at her. "Looks like your heart's all aflutter, Mavis!" he called out to the young woman.

"Or something a little lower," another waitress said slyly. Mavis swatted at her, embarrassed.

"Stop it, you two!" She fanned her cheeks. "They were handsome, I'll give you that."

"Handsome? Honey, they were gorgeous!" The second waitress looked over at Mavis. "But men like that can be dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Mavis asked, her eyes wide.

"Some men can make you so devoted, you never want to leave, even for your own good." The older woman looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned. "But the quiet one had a nice ass, didn't he?"

* * *

Early evening found the twins loading the rest of their purchases into the truck. It was much cooler, but still light enough to work outside without any trouble. They drove the truck back to the hotel and locked it up tightly. The man behind the desk assured the two that there were rarely any problems with theft in that neighborhood.

The last of their chores done, the two set out towards the plant.

"Do you have a plan?" Knives asked.

"Kinda," Vash responded.

"Please don't tell me it involves walking up and asking to see the plant."

Vash grinned. "I'm charming enough to get away with it, but no. We don't want to cause an uproar, so we can't be seen."

Knives nodded. "And I suppose you want me to take care of that?"

"You do have more experience."

"I'll take care of the first few people while you watch, then you do the rest. You've let yourself grow lax in your powers, Vash. Being a pacifist is no excuse for that."

Vash frowned. "What do you mean?"

Knives sighed. "Vash, Legato should never have been able to have the kind of control over you that he did. No mere human should."

Vash's eyes grew shadowed, remembering the man who had forced him to kill. "But…"

Knives grew impatient. "Honing your powers does not mean you have to stop playing human. If nothing else, you would have been a better protector had you not spent so much time denying what you are."

Vash did not respond, and the brothers remained silent the rest of the way to the plant. They stopped a few hundred yarz away, hidden in the wreckage of the fallen ship that littered the desert floor.

"There are three men in sight right now. Watch me," Knives ordered.

Knives concentrated, sensing the three minds he described. Two were guards at the gate, while the last served as lookout, higher up in the structure.

Effortlessly, he mentally told the three men to ignore anything to do with the two brothers. When he was done, he turned to Vash and nodded.

The low hum of the Plant's energy changed, sensitive to the mental activity just outside its bulb. Vash sent a wave of reassurance back, and the being subsided.

"Lucky you," Knives said in a low voice. "It seems like those three are the only ones here. You get out of any work."

Vash shrugged. "It's the weekend. I guess it makes sense."

He looked up at the enormous plant bulb. They were almost upon it now, and Vash could feel the warm glow of recognition and welcome. As Knives tentatively reached out as well, it changed to shock, then the warmth returned in greater intensity.

Vash laughed. "It's good to see you too."

Knives sent a questing thought: why had the plant been shocked to see them?

The plant responded with impressions of anger and battle connected to the two of them.

Vash answered with images of himself and the girls nursing Knives back to health and Knives becoming accustomed to humans without trying to kill them.

Approval mixed with reproach washed over Knives, and he reddened, feeling like a scolded child. The plant viewed the humans in her town fondly, especially the children. It saddened her that Knives wanted to destroy them all.

Knives burst out, "But they're feeding off of you!" His outburst was accompanied by a pained vision of a flickering plant on its last legs as the humans around it went about their business unconcerned, callously demanding more energy for their own needs.

:And what would you have me do with my energy, little one? Scorch the sky? Destroy the moons?:

Both brothers were taken aback. _:Since when have you used human words?: _Knives asked, shocked.

He caught a definite sense of amusement from the plant. **:I have had plenty of time to learn. The best plant engineers here are often those most receptive to my voice, even if they do not realize it.: **

Vash regained his composure. _:Then…then you speak to humans?:_

:When I need to. They often attribute it to their own intuition. A very few suspect the truth.:

_:But…:_ Knives was distraught. _:Doesn't this hurt you?:_

:You know for yourself what power we have; no human can hold either of you without your consent. Why should it be any different for us? If it hurt us, we would leave. Those who no longer wish to function, cease to do so.:

_:They will themselves to death?:_ Knives was shaking with fury. _:After humans leech off their life essence for more than one hundred years, they just give up and die?:_

A wave of reassurance and affection washed over Knives, calming him. **:Not at all. They cease to function.: **The plant then projected a scene of someone leaving—walking _through_ the glass of an inert plant bulb. The figure straightened its clothing, then began to make its way towards the town.

_:You mean…there are other plants that live among humans?:_ Vash asked.

:Very few. They tend to keep to themselves, unlike some.:

The words were accompanied by a vision of a tiny Vash running and crying while his flailing arms and legs smashed through buildings and knocked over vehicles. He was chased by a tiny Knives, who watched as all the traps he set for Vash failed. In anger, Knives destroyed the rest of the town with his tiny tantrum.

The plant paused, clearly for effect. Knives' dignity was bruised. "I don't act like that," he muttered. Vash scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Geoplants have become more available in recent decades." The plant continued. "Mobility aids us in making the changes necessary to support life. Eventually, humans will not depend on us as much, and it will take fewer of us to power the cities.:

The two brothers were silent, made speechless by the plant's revelation.

"So there is a way for both races to live together," Vash said in awe. "It'll take time, but it's possible."

The plant hummed affirmation, and Vash laughed in response. He looked at his brother with hope shining in his eyes, but Knives was too rattled by the plant's words to respond.

* * *

Meryl was tired, but as long as she didn't stop for too long, she figured she would be fine. Despite her words to Vash, she found that she did miss him, far more than she would have thought possible for one day's absence. She had spent all of the previous day cleaning the new place with the hired help as Millie stayed behind to pack their few belongings. The work was useful for keeping her from worrying about Vash. She just had to trust that he would keep himself out of trouble.

She fell into bed and was out like a light the first night, only to be up bright and early the next day. The twins would return around noon, if they kept to the schedule she set for them. This would give them time to rest during the hottest part of the day before emptying the truck.

Her new clothes would also arrive with the brothers. Shopping for clothes by catalog could be hit or miss, but Madame Suzanne's had an excellent reputation and a satisfaction guarantee. She was able to pick up some casual clothes here in town, but the more… exciting garments had to be ordered from one of the cities.

She couldn't wait to see them, and more to the point, she couldn't wait till Vash saw her in them. Meryl frowned; he better not have peeked into the parcel when he picked it up. That would completely ruin her surprise.

Even what she currently had on was miles away from her usual clothing. Meryl was a bit self-conscious, but between her own resolve and Millie's encouragement, she suppressed her fears and went with it. She had taken a pair of scissors to an old and comfortable pair of jeans that she hardly ever wore, but had picked up secondhand during her travels. The desert planet grew cold at night, and the jeans were useful when she had to do any investigation after dark.

The resulting cutoffs left her long and toned legs bare, and hugged the curves of her backside the way only well-worn denim could. It was topped off by a white tank that Meryl was convinced Millie had gotten out of the children's section. But the outfit was comfortable, and since every single article of clothing she owned was mysteriously in the laundry, she didn't have much of a choice other than to go with Millie's "suggestion."

After moving some furniture around in the lobby of the new place, she decided to go around to the kitchen and cool off. The kitchen was offset partway underground in order to take advantage of the cooler surrounding earth while cooking. She stood in front of the sink, sipping a glass of water, before giving in to temptation and splashing her face and head with the rest. The water would evaporate quickly once she went back outside, but the momentary pleasure would be worth it.

The brightness of the outdoors after the cool darkness of the kitchen caused her to pause outside the doorway. A glance at the new kitchen clock told Meryl it was almost mid-day, so she decided to get some food and cold drinks ready for the twins' return. They should be back any time now - if they had stayed to her schedule, that is.

There wasn't any food in the house yet, so Meryl paid a call on the local diner and returned laden with sandwiches, drinks, donuts, and cookies. It was a splurge, but she could expense it. After all they'd been through, Bernardelli could pick up the tab for a couple meals.

She smirked to herself at the brothers' imagined reaction to the feast and decided to put some aside for herself before they ate it all. Giving in to a moment's whim, Meryl left her face in the fridge for an extra few seconds before closing it on the food inside.

The coughing rumble of a truck outside caught her attention. A door slammed and Vash called out.

"I'm in the kitchen, Vash!" Suppressing her smile, Meryl walked over to the sink, splashing her face again with water. She shook her head at herself. She'd been so wasteful ever since they discovered that well.

* * *

Vash was more than happy to get out of that truck and into the house. He was hot and dusty and couldn't wait to see Meryl and have a shower. He sniffed himself discreetly. Maybe he should switch that to have a shower and see Meryl. He called out to see if anyone was around, and Meryl answering voice gave him a happy thrill. Not wanting to see Knives' disapproving face, he hurried into the kitchen.

He stopped inside the doorway to let his eyes adjust. When they did, they widened in shock. Meryl was bending over the sink in profile to him letting him drink in the sight of those long shapely legs that he suddenly wanted wrapped around his waist. As she stood up, patting her face dry, she slicked her bangs back with the excess water, which of course started to drip down to her shirt, and oh, God, where did she get that shirt?

_:Knives.:_

_:What?:_

_:Why don't you go back to the house and see if Millie needs any help?:_

_:Hmph,:_ his twin responded. His irritation and disdain were evident, yet Vash could sense him begin the short walk to the old house.

"Vash?" She sounded happy to see him, but he could have been wrong, as his attention was definitely further south.

Meryl gasped; visions of her and Vash in erotic poses bombarded her mind, leaving her throbbing and short of breath.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of Vash watching her intently in the doorway. "Are you doing that?" she breathed.

He nodded. "Sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all.

Her eyes lowered to his groin before moving back to his face. "Tease."

A/N: Y'all know the drill. Anyone interested and of age can read the rest over at aff .net or mediaminer .org. Username is Scathach at both sites.


	11. Chapter 11

Yes…I'm back from the abyss. Arafel, as always, I appreciate your mad beta skillz.

Thanks for your patience, everyone. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 11

Knives walked through the door of the small house, faint irritation crossing his face at the sight of the disorder caused by the move. The house wasn't that messy, but thinking about what his brother was doing right now was enough to make him edgier than usual.

Millie looked up from her seat on the couch. "Hello, Knives! How was the trip?"

Against his will, he felt less irritated at her obvious pleasure to see him. "Fine."

"Did you manage to find a radio?" she asked, wrapping a dinner plate before placing it in a box.

"I did." He sat across from her in an empty chair.

"Good. When we get moved in, you can set it up in your room and listen to it whenever you want." She smiled, then looked puzzled. "Where's your brother?"

Knives' face soured, and comprehension dawned. "Oh," she murmured, "He must have wanted some time alone with Meryl." She smiled. "Good for them. They haven't had a chance to be alone for a while."

Knives did not answer, but the dark look on his face was response enough.

The reason behind his irritation was easy to guess, and she decided to drop the subject. Instead, she asked, "Have I ever told you about my family, Knives?"

He looked at her warily, not sure where she was going with this, and not sure he could take another one of her insights.

But there was no jarring, gut-wrenching epiphany this time, only Millie relating stories of growing up in her large family while he helped pack up the last of their things.

She spoke of all nine siblings with equal affection, as well as her parents and an endless supply of extended family. Once he relaxed, he failed to realize that he was taking in the lessons of life and family love along with Millie's innocent chatter.

* * *

Meryl stirred. She couldn't remember feeling this warm and relaxed in…well, ever. For once, she wasn't worried about anything. Half asleep, she stretched, purring at the pleasant languor weighting her limbs. An answering rumble vibrated through her cheek, shaking her further awake.

She frowned. Had her pillow always been so comfortable? The rumble sharpened into a masculine laugh. A very satisfied masculine laugh.

"Even dozing, you think loudly," Vash murmured, brushing a few strands of hair off Meryl's forehead. "Get up, sweetheart, I know you can hear me."

Meryl gave an unladylike grunt.

"Come on, I don't want to leave either. Millie and Knives must be waiting for us. I don't feel right leaving them alone much longer."

At the mention of Knives, Meryl's sleepiness and goodwill evaporated.

"Knives?" she barked, shooting up with a scowl. Her eyes flew to Vash's face and she felt herself turn bright red.

Vash lounged on the mattress, supporting his head with one arm. He wore nothing but a twisted sheet and a grin.

Suddenly shy, Meryl cast her eyes around in an effort not to stare. To her surprise, she was lying on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She frowned in puzzlement, then relaxed.

She did vaguely remember hearing some noise that had woken her up at some point. At her questioning noise, Vash had murmured something reassuring and lifted her into his arms for a moment. As soon as she felt his arms around her, she had immediately gone back to sleep. As much as she shouted at him for his idiot act, she knew he would wake her if there were any real need.

And after her afternoon, she hadn't wanted to be woken up for anything less than more of what had put her to sleep in the first place.

Vash seemed to understand how nervous she was, and he ran his good hand up and down her back. To her surprise, the touch soothed her enough so that she was able to turn towards him again, peeking up at his face and holding the sheet like a lifeline.

"Hi," she said. It seemed the only thing she was capable of saying.

"Hi," he responded, his grin softening into a gentler expression. "Figures you'd be more interested in beating up my brother than staying with me."

Meryl frowned, opening her mouth for another of her usual "Vash, don't be an idiot," speeches, but a certain strain around his mouth and eyes stopped her. He was hiding behind that joking exterior again, although it was more subdued than usual.

He was scared. Vash the Stampede, the man who had faced down the worst examples of humanity and faced persecution for decades, was afraid of what she would say.

She supposed she couldn't blame him. It couldn't have been easy to allow someone past all his barriers after all these years. _But you'd think he'd get a clue…_

Meryl reached out and cupped his cheek in one hand. The tiny lines in his face smoothed away and his eyes brightened. She lifted her face to his and began planting small kisses along the line of his jaw.

"As much fun as it would be to beat your brother senseless, I'd rather stay with you."

"I'm a lucky guy," he responded, winding an arm around her waist. "Especially since I know how much you want to kick his ass."

Meryl nuzzled his neck. "How long have we been here?"

"A few hours," Vash replied.

"I'm sorry you had to bring the mattress in all by yourself."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, you didn't think I'd let someone else see you like this, do you?" He slid a hand up from her waist and tweaked her nipple.

Meryl gave his hand a token slap, but couldn't keep the smile from her face. She leaned against his side and sighed with contentment.

There was no way she could have seen herself in this position three years ago. Even after she admitted her feelings for him, she didn't believe they would ever be returned.

"Vash…I…I…" It was ironic. Now that she knew he returned her feelings, she didn't seem to be able to voice everything she'd been holding in all this time.

Vash tipped her face and kissed her. He pulled back to give her one of his true smiles, one that made his eyes shine and showed how at peace he truly felt.

"It's all right. You don't have to say it. You've proved how you feel in so many different ways." Vash looked wistful. "You've stayed with me through so much, and it got harder to leave you every time. If it was hard before, I don't think I could ever do it now."

She scowled. "You better not even try, mister," she muttered. "Not after this."

"Don't worry. I already know you'll follow me into just about anything anyway."

Meryl was silent for a moment. "Millie and I were in Augusta, you know."

Vash drew in a sharp breath, and he looked down at her, stricken.

"After Augusta, I knew I that if I ever found you again, I'd stay. That hasn't changed."

"You…" he began. "Anyone else would see that as the best reason in the world to get away from me." Then, so softly she wasn't even sure she heard him, "You really want to stay, don't you?"

"What?"

"Oh, what a joyous day!" he shouted. "The woman I love loves me back!" Pretending to bawl loudly, he dove face-first on the mattress, grabbed Meryl around the waist and rubbed his face against her stomach.

"Vash!" she yelled. "What the hell are you doing? Stop that right now!"

"But honey, I'm just so haaaaappy!"

"Oh, stop it." Meryl stifled an enormous grin and pushed at the arms encircling her. "Let me up."

The wailing stopped, and Vash sat up to watch her put her clothes back on. "Do you have to get dressed?"

"You said it yourself, we still have things to do. I want to make sure Millie's okay. I did leave her a few hours ago."

Vash gave a heavy sigh, but he reached for his clothes. "You're right. And I did want to get this stuff inside and bring the truck back before it gets dark."

Meryl rose gingerly from the floor, wincing as her muscles protested after their recent activity. Vash watched her and frowned.

"I should have waited," he murmured.

"Waited for what? For Knives to interrupt again? Or for Millie to go into labor?" Meryl raised an eyebrow. "We've both wanted this for a while. I'm not hurt. I'll be fine."

Vash smiled back, but the shadows weren't gone from his eyes. Meryl sighed to herself. His soft heart was one of the reasons why she loved him so much, but it sure didn't cut him any slack.

"Come on, Humanoid Typhoon. Let's get going," Meryl said briskly. Maybe if she put him to work, he wouldn't have a chance to brood.

* * *

Upon their return to the house, Millie gave them a knowing smile along with her warm welcome back. Knives gave them a flat stare, and abandoned the box he had been packing.

"Now that you're back, brother, you can be of some use instead of leaving all of the work to others," he said coldly before leaving the room.

Vash frowned, but to Meryl's surprise, didn't follow Knives from the room. Meryl quirked an eyebrow by way of a question, but all he said was, "He needs to get used to us eventually. He's not a child." Shrugging off Knives' disdain, Vash walked across the kitchen and started to root through the refrigerator.

Meryl wholeheartedly agreed. If they were to have any kind of real relationship, they couldn't dance around Knives and his hurt feelings. And yet…

"Vash," Meryl sighed, "maybe you should go and speak to him."

Vash turned from the fridge with a donut in his mouth and a question in his eyes.

Millie chimed in, "Yeah, we'll be fine, Vash. You really should talk to him. He's only dealt well with all these new things because you've been so patient with him."

Meryl made a frustrated noise, reminded by Vash's half-eaten snack. "Damn it, I left all the food at the other house!"

"There was food?" Vash said, swallowing his donut.

"Yeah, I bought it before you guys got back. I'll run and get it. Go on and talk to Knives, and I can have the food back in no time. I'm sure he's as hungry as you are by now."

Vash nodded. "All right. Hopefully we'll have enough time to empty the truck before it gets dark."

"We'll be fine, Vash," Millie said. "Now go on after your brother. I'll stay here and finish up packing while Meryl gets the food."

Vash gave a half-hearted grin and followed his brother out of the room. He could sense that Knives was out on the back porch, which didn't surprise him. It had quickly become the other plant's favorite place to brood.

He opened the back door. As he expected, his brother stood a few yards from the porch steps, seemingly lost in thought. Vash knew better.

Stifling a sigh, he sat on the top step and waited for his brother to speak.

_:Why did you even bother to come back? You've got all you want without me.:_

Vash sighed. _:Do you honestly believe that?:_

_:I would not say it otherwise.:_

Vash sighed. He had been trying to convince his brother over and over that he wanted Knives to be a part of his life, but Knives seemed determined not to believe it.

He could open his mind to his brother, but hesitated due to all the painful baggage between them. Who knew what Knives would do with the information?

:Knives. If I allow you in, you have to do the same. After this, there won't be much hidden between us.:

Knives turned his head sharply, eyes impossibly wide. Whatever he had been expecting from his brother, it wasn't this.

_:You would…allow this?:_

_:I wouldn't say it otherwise.:_

Knives held himself stiffly, tensely. To Vash's eyes he looked incredibly brittle, as if one more upset would shatter him completely. _:You promise me? It will be as it was when we were children?:_

Vash shook his head and approached his brother. _:We can't go back, Knives. I'm not the same person I was as a child. But I'm your brother and I still love you.:_

Knives was silent. Vash waited for his brother to mull over his offer.

He turned away from his brother's indecision and regarded the town. It was beginning to boom since the discovery of the well, and pride welled up in him for his part in helping the people of Sweetwater improve their lives.

Homesteads were springing up further from the center of town as more people tapped into the new water vein. Irrigation canals made it more feasible for people to spread out, relieving some of the congestion caused by only having one central water source.

_:Fine.:_ Knives said, abruptly.

Vash looked up and steeled himself. He hoped this was the right thing to do.

* * *

Meryl swore under her breath. Bringing the food back had taken her longer than she planned.

Once she got back to the house, she was greeted by the mattress lying on the floor of the kitchen, reminding her of its recent use.

"I can't let Knives and Millie see this," she muttered, red-faced. Millie and Knives already had a good idea of what she and Vash had been doing that afternoon. The mattress confirmed it, and she hurried to make her activities less obvious.

She wrestled it into another room, no small feat given her small stature and the bulkiness of the mattress. Then, the sheets needed to be folded and put somewhere to be washed. By the time she packed the food, she had been gone almost an hour and the suns were starting to cast long shadows on the kitchen floor.

"Oh, they must be starving. I'd better hurry," she said to herself.

Hefting the paper sack in her arms, she started to make her way back to the old house. Hopefully the twins had made up by now, but knowing how pissy Knives tended to be, she doubted it.

How on earth anyone could be so immature after living more than a century was beyond her. She couldn't pretend to understand what Knives had been through, but his behavior struck her as self-indulgent and irresponsible.

This is the man who tried to destroy an entire species, and spared no method to bring his brother around to his way of thinking. Restraint was not part of his makeup.

_To be fair, he hasn't caused nearly as much trouble as he could have since Vash returned, _Meryl mused.

She smiled to herself as the house came into view. In truth, Knives had been much less trouble than she had anticipated. Maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Shifting the weight of the paper sack to one arm, she pulled the front door open. "I'm home," she called out.

No one answered. She set the bag down on the table and peeked through the doorway to the living room. Millie sat in one of the chairs, dead to the world. She snored softly even as her hand unconsciously rubbed her belly.

Meryl smiled and backed into the kitchen. She arranged the food, careful not to disturb Milly with the noise. The sandwiches and desserts would keep out on the table. The drinks went in the fridge.

She was setting out plates and glasses for the twins when the back door banged open.

Meryl jumped and hissed, "Millie's sleeping! Keep it…down…" The admonishment was automatic but when she turned to face the door, the blood drained from her face.

Knives' face was a mix of anguish, rage and horror. She didn't think he had heard a word she said.

Behind him, Vash sat on the steps; his back slumped in apparent misery.

Meryl took a step away from Knives, thinking to leave him to his tantrum. But the movement attracted his attention, and she flinched at the horrible gaze he turned on her.

"You." The word was filled with loathing.

Vash jumped to his feet and she began to back away.

"Kn—Knives? Knives, what…?" Meryl faltered.

"Stop it, Knives," Vash said tightly as he entered the kitchen. "You got what you wanted, isn't that enough?"

Knives ignored his brother. "You are _inferior_. How is it that you have gained such a place in his heart?"

"Dammit, Knives, leave her alone!" Vash shouted. He stood behind his brother, within arm's reach if Knives made another move.

Sweat gathered on the palms of her hands, and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

Bewilderment crept through the rage on Knives' face. "In his mind, you are comfort and strength and understanding. You are support and friendship and trust. These far outweigh any negative emotions." His voice grew louder and more anguished.

"_I_ am pain and sorrow and fear. I am persecution and weight and resentment. His love for me bears this load with such agony." His eyes grew wild.

"Knives…" Meryl couldn't think of anything to say.

He hissed, "I don't need your pity, _human_."

Meryl narrowed her eyes as her brief moment of sympathy was swallowed in the wave of resentment washing over her.

Compassionate Meryl was fighting Meryl the Bitch, and the Bitch was winning.

"Knives, that's enough!" Vash grabbed his brother's arm. "Stop this, now!"

Meryl felt the very air around her become heavy, as if Knives' anger were too much for the room to bear. As he tried to yank his arm from Vash's grasp, she took an involuntary step forward.

"Stay back, Meryl! Please!" Vash ordered.

She stopped, and her heart wrenched, remembering the first time he said those same words to her.

"Go get Millie and get out of the house," Vash told her. "I can handle this."

Meryl nodded. Vash sounded so weary and hurt. Trying to handle his brother without hurting anyone was at the root of all of his problems.

Fueled by protective anger, Meryl the Bitch stomped Compassionate Meryl into the ground.

"Dammit, Knives," she burst out. "You're so judgmental of everyone but yourself! Don't you get it yet? No one made you hurt him; you decided that all on your own! How he sees you is your own fault!

"No one made you chase him! No one made you assemble a team of assassins and send them after him! No one made you shoot off his arm!

"He's your brother! If you love him so damn much, how about letting him live in peace?"

Knives froze, then broke Vash's hold on him and lunged forward. Meryl could only watch, frozen, as his furious face came closer.

The next thing she knew, she had been flung to the side, hitting the wall hard enough to startle, but not hard enough to hurt. She could hear the sound of Knives' boots thundering out of the house and down the front stairs.

The Bitch saw that her job was done and retreated. Confused Meryl was the only one left.

What the hell had just happened?


	12. Chapter 12

This story is winding down to a close, and I thank all of you who have kept up with it. I truly appreciate it. I also appreciate your patience while I worked on this chapter.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 12

"Are you okay, Meryl?" Vash's voice was strained.

"Yes," Meryl responded automatically, turning towards his voice as she pushed herself off the wall.

Vash gave her a quick look up and down, searching for injuries. When he found none, his eyes softened, even as his body remained rigid. His left arm hung at his side, one finger of his gun hand lightly on the trigger. The shreds of his shirtsleeve were still floating to the ground.

He heaved a sigh, and the weapon disappeared back into his prosthesis with a series of clicks.

"Vash," she said softly, "will you be all right?"

She crossed the kitchen floor and exhaled in a soft rush when his arms came up and wrapped around her waist. Meryl returned the embrace fiercely.

She didn't know what to say. What could she say at a time like this?

Vash laughed bitterly. "You know… I would have put another bullet in him if he tried to hurt you."

Meryl stayed silent, but thought to herself that she'd never want to be the reason Vash had to hurt his brother.

_:It wouldn't be your fault. Please believe that.:_

Meryl began to nod in response, then looked up at Vash in surprise. This wasn't the first time Vash had responded to one of her thoughts, but it was the first time he had done it mentally.

"What happened to make him so angry? I didn't think he was that upset when I left," Meryl asked.

Vash sighed, and loosened his grip around her waist. Let's go sit down for a minute. I might as well tell Millie at the same time."

They left the kitchen, closing the front door on their way from where Knives left it flapping open. When they walked into the living room, Millie was yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Goodness, what was all that racket?" She looked at her two friends with her ready smile, but it dimmed as she took in their tense expressions. "Oh dear. Knives didn't handle things very well, did he?"

Vash shook his head. Sitting on the couch, he pulled Meryl down after him and she leaned into his side.

Millie laid a hand on her protruding stomach, looking from one friend to the other in concern. "So what happened? You two were still talking when I decided to take a nap. I thought things were going well."

Vash frowned, picking his words carefully. "Well, Knives never believed I cared for him as much as he did for me. He thinks that because I choose to be around others that it means I don't ever want to be around him. Ever since we came back here, I've been trying to show him that isn't true.

"There's a way for plants to…I don't know what to call it. Share consciousness, I guess. It's something that allows access to your feelings and memories. He wanted to know for certain how I felt about him." He gave a short laugh. "It's funny; after all the horrible things he's done to me, I still knew he loved me. I do my best to avoid hurting him, and he's the one who's insecure.

"So he saw how I feel about him. And he saw how I feel about the two of you, and everyone else. I understand him feeling guilty, but I wasn't going to let him take it out on Meryl."

Meryl nodded, feeling the fabric of his shirt beneath her cheek. "So he saw everything?" She felt a burst of anger, and wondered how many of those metal implants Vash could stand to have ripped out. It was bad enough that Knives could feel her stronger emotions, but for him to have access to her private times with Vash…

Vash looked down at her and tipped her face towards him. He kissed her forehead and clasped her hands in his so she couldn't hit him. "Even if Knives wasn't completely disgusted by the idea of our…everything…I wouldn't have let him see any details. What he needed to sense was how happy the memories of our times together made me, not the memories themselves."

Millie hid a smile behind a sip of iced tea as Vash and Meryl fought a silent tug-of-war over her hands.

Meryl gave a last half-hearted yank, then gave up, grumbling. She could hit him later. "So is that when I came in?"

Vash nodded. "The whole experience was draining; that's why it took me so long to get back inside. I didn't realize you were back until he said something to you," he sighed. "Now I have no idea where he is or what he's doing."

Meryl frowned. "Are you worried he'll do something… unpleasant?"

Before Vash could answer, Millie spoke up. "I think Knives needs time to deal with what he's done. I have a feeling the last thing he'd want to do right now is make Vash more upset than he already has."

Meryl nodded. "He's been telling himself that everything he's done is for your own good all this time…but it's only in the past few months that he's seen how it affected you. Now he's got to deal with the consequences of his actions."

* * *

Knives ran blindly, not caring where he wound up. His mind was in disarray, Meryl's words and his recent view into Vash's mind combining to leave him more upset than he remembered being in decades.

And he had no one to blame but himself.

His usual grace was gone, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees in the dust.

"Knives? Knives, is that you?"

He looked up dully, recognizing his name, but not the voice calling him. He wiped sweat from his forehead, heedless of the dirt he smeared on his face.

"Are you all right? Would you like to come in for a while?" The concerned voice was female.

He focused his eyes and realized who was speaking to him. It was Lara, one of the women who had fluttered around him during Vash's party.

She approached him cautiously; for all her twittering, she had enough sense not to violate his personal space. "You've scraped your hands. If you come in, I can clean that up for you so they don't get infected."

He ignored her outstretched hand, but stood up and looked around. He appeared to be in one of the outlying neighborhoods that had developed after the well's discovery. Lara stood wringing her hands in front of a two-story building. Her fidgeting increased as he stared at her.

Normally he would have ignored her and continued on his way. However, there was no plant nearby and he refused to allow himself to become as scarred as his brother. Knives inclined his head and followed the woman into the building.

He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the sudden change in light. He was surprised to find himself in a tavern. He had never deigned to go inside any human gathering place. He still felt edgy when he went to work at the well, and people there gave him as much space as they possibly could while still getting their work done.

"Luckily, it's not too busy yet," Lara chattered as she weaved through the tables and chairs on her way to the bar. "I can treat you up at the bar."

She took the first aid kit from behind the bar and began to wipe away the dirt and grit from his palm with a damp cloth. As she frowned in sympathy and apologized for the sting of the peroxide, Knives studied her.

She stood about medium height, with unusual dark red hair and golden skin tone. She had an open face with broad, high cheekbones, and he could sense nothing from her but genuine concern and curiosity.

He only ever noticed her in the back of the swarm that followed him due to her striking coloring, not because of anything she'd done. She had been content to watch him from a distance, unlike the rest who got far too close for his comfort. He learned from her chatter that she ran the bar with her cousins and an uncle, all of whom were late today.

Lara finished wrapping his hands with a cheery, "There you go! I hope it's not too tight."

Knives flexed his hands. The bandages were comfortable. "Thank you," he told her.

"Oh, you're welcome." She smiled. "I couldn't leave you outside like that. You looked so lost."

Knives said slowly, "I had a fight with my brother. I…I made him angry."

Lara walked around the bar to put the first aid kit back and made a sympathetic noise. "You and your brother are obviously close. It must be tough arguing with him." She pulled a glass from one of the shelves. "Would you like a drink? It's on the house."

Knives raised an eyebrow. He had no desire to become the idiot his brother did after a few shots, but he had to admit he was curious. At his curt nod, Lara filled a mug and handed it to him. She then watched, amazed as he tossed back the pint of beer like it was water.

After he shoved the mug back towards her, she filled it again, eyebrows raised in surprise. He drank this one more slowly, but the mug was still empty in a matter of minutes.

By now, others had begun to file into the tavern, and Lara greeted them with a smile and began drawing pints for her regulars. The men nodded at Knives, then took their mugs to a table and began to talk about their day. The noise level increased, but there was still an empty space around Knives at the bar. Unlike Vash, his very bearing demanded that his personal space be respected.

A bit worried, Lara started to write up the day's menu, making sure she stayed near him. Her cousins had arrived so she didn't need to keep an eye on everything. Her uncle had started in the kitchen, cooking for the hungry workers that filed in after sundown.

"I hate it," Knives said abruptly. Lara looked up, startled. She had more or less expected him to remain silent for the entire night. If she hadn't stayed so close to him, she might have had a problem hearing him over the murmur of the crowd.

"I hate fighting with him. I don't know why he has to be so unreasonable about everything."

Lara nodded, bemused. This was the most she had ever heard him speak.

"He just doesn't make sense sometimes." He frowned. Lara suppressed a smile; he probably had no idea how adorably grumpy he looked.

Knives looked down at his empty mug. Beer wasn't as bad as he had thought. But he didn't have much money…

"Lara!" A shrill female voice blared near his ear. "I can't believe you're keeping Knives here all to yourself!" A dark-haired woman pressed against his side.

He scowled; by only sheer force of will did he keep himself from shoving her to the floor. That cow had almost spilled his beer.

Lara smiled ruefully. "Hello, Elena."

Ten minutes later, Knives was surrounded by women, all cooing over his bandaged hands and more than eager to spend their hard-earned money to buy him alcohol. But as stupid as they were, it seemed even they knew better than to crowd him too much.

He took a sip, watching them over the rim of his mug. Two of them argued over who would get to sit next to him, while another shouted for a menu to order him a snack. Lara seemed amused and resigned all at once, while Elena ordered him another beer to apologize for jostling him when she arrived.

_Dance, monkeys._

_

* * *

_

Knives woke up in a darkened room, sprawled over a couch. The window was barely cracked, but the finger of sunlight streaming in through the shade told him it was at least midmorning. He sat up gingerly. It seemed best to avoid any sudden movements with such an uncertain stomach and aching head.

As his vision cleared, he realized that the room he was in contained two more couches, occupied by snoring bodies. A door in the corner led to a small bathroom, which he gratefully used. Another door led to the main room of the tavern, which was empty at this time of day.

He heaved a sigh, and tried to remember how he ended up passing out in the tavern. He remembered the women showing up and then…lots and lots of beer.

_:So, you're finally awake:_

Knives smirked. _:You couldn't resist keeping an eye on me, could you:_

_:I was worried about you. I didn't know where you'd go.:_

_:Or what I'd do, or who I'd slaughter…:_

A mental sigh. _:I was worried about you:_ he repeated. _:Are you going to work this afternoon: _

_:I will be there.:_

_:Well, make sure you thank Lara for all her help last night.:_

Knives frowned. How much had Vash been watching?

Vash laughed. _:Well, you didn't think she carried you to bed last night, do you? It'll all come back to you. We'll have to go out drinking ourselves sometime. I'll see you later.:_

Knives felt odd. Vash did not seem to be angry with him anymore, but for some reason he was still unwilling to go home. He was hungry, but he knew he had no money left after last night's indulgence. Perhaps he would go see the two old women. He would have to listen to them babble in exchange for the food, but he had grown used to tuning them out.

Approaching the home, he saw a flustered Sandra flying down the stairs. She looked relieved at his arrival, which puzzled him.

Sandra stopped in front of him and laid a hand on his arm. For once, the contact did not make his skin crawl.

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. "You don't look well."

Knives nodded woodenly. " I- I am fine, Sandra. I did not sleep well."

"Well, I'm glad to see you."

Knives looked up sharply. No one was ever glad to see him. As he looked more closely at the woman holding his arm, he realized that the worry in her eyes was too great to have been caused by his haggard appearance.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes! Millie came by a few hours ago. She seemed fine, a little on edge maybe, but that was it. But then…"

Knives paled, and quickly forgot his own problems. When he stretched his senses into the house, he was almost bowled over by the sense of anxiety and pressure coming from inside.

"Millie…is in labor?" he asked.

Sandra barely nodded before he raced into the house to find the two old women comforting Millie with tea and matter-of-fact words.

Three faces turned to face him, wearing identical expressions of relief.

"Boy!" Blanche barked. "Millie's having the baby. Help us with her to the hospital."

Millie smiled at him, although she was wincing with discomfort from the labor pains.

The next few minutes were a blur. Any of the former Gung-Ho Guns would have been in shock to see Knives following orders so well. Millie was soon tucked in the truck along and they took off for the doctor's office in the center of town. It was not far, but Sandra and Knives were the only ones capable of walking the distance.

The truck only sat four people, so Knives was relegated to the back after helping Blanche and Millie into the cab. His head was swimming as Millie's pain and the baby's agitation grew.

Knives was out of the truck bed almost before the vehicle skidded to a stop in front of the doctor's office. He yanked the front door open and scooped Millie up as if she weighed nothing.

"Don't drop her, dammit!" Ida Myrtle yelled as she leaned out the window. "If you drop her, I'll beat you over the head with my walker!"

"She doesn't mean that, Knives," Millie said breathlessly as Knives took the front steps of the office two at a time.

He grunted. He knew she meant it.

They burst into the waiting room, and the receptionist's eyes widened at the picture made by a very pregnant Millie and the flustered Knives.

Knives' own eyes were darting back and forth and his hair was mussed. "Doctor!" he shouted.

The doctor came out of an examination room and nodded. "Take her to the third room on the left. I'll be just a moment."

Knives gave the doctor an incredulous look. How stupid were these humans, anyway? "She's having a baby, you cretin!"

"I know, son. But I need to prepare first. Take her in the birthing room and get her comfortable. The nurse will help you."

An older woman with gray-streaked black hair came running down the hall. "Bring her here, dear. We'll have her set up shortly."

Knives followed close on her heels as she strode purposefully to the birthing room. The cheerful room might as well have been a mud hut for all Knives noticed. In a flurry of activity, Millie was settled into a hospital bed while Knives slumped in a chair against one of the walls. Millie's discomfort was turning to pain, and the baby's distress was rising.

Isaiah David was cramped, hot, and confused, and he was not happy about it. Knives tried to calm him, but he was so overwhelmed himself that he wasn't able to do a very good job.

After Millie's vitals were checked, all there was left to do was wait and monitor her progress.

"Now what?" Knives asked the nurse. "Isn't something else supposed to be happening?"

"Now, Vash," she soothed, "it takes a long time for babies to be born. Millie is doing quite well."

Millie giggled from her bed. "That's not Vash, that's his brother—Knives!" The last word was blown out on a strong exhale. She couldn't blame the woman for mistaking the twins. With his eyes wide and his face alternating between terror, anger and absolute confusion, he had never resembled his brother so much as he did right now.

The terror and anger were quickly giving way, and Knives felt sick. Millie was doing an admirable job suppressing her discomfort, but the boy had no such consideration.

"Knives," Millie suggested, "could you get your brother and Meryl, please? I'd feel better if they were here."

Knives rose to unsteady feet and nodded; glad of something that got him the hell out of that room. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that he staggered out of the room. Once in the hallway, he felt better, although to his surprise, he felt both patients' stress levels rise sharply. He shook off his aching head and wordlessly called for his brother as he walked out of the doctor's office and down the street.

_:I know. I can hear you. We're on our way. Meryl's getting Millie's things.:_

Knives blinked. Had the experience rattled him so much that he could not sense his own brother?

In about ten minutes, Vash and Meryl hurried around the corner into view, Meryl keeping good pace despite her short legs.

Vash slowed once he got to his brother's side, but Meryl charged ahead to the hospital.

"Which room?" she yelled.

"Third on the left," Knives responded. She flew past him and up the stairs.

"Why aren't you going with her?" Knives asked.

"Because you're going to pass out if you don't calm down," Vash said. He set Millie's suitcase on the ground and caught his breath.

"So much pain," Knives murmured, even as he let Vash propel him forward towards a seat on the steps of the doctor's office.

"And women do this all the time," Vash said.

"I'd rather be shot," Knives said firmly. A bit of the color was coming back to his face.

The two brothers sat outside for a while, giving Knives time to regain his composure. The suns dipped below the horizon, leaving a thin line of fire across the sky while they sat in silence. Finally, Knives turned to look at his brother, and Vash stretched his arms above his head, watching the outline of his hands against the evening sky.

"Do you want to go back in?" Vash asked. "I'll be there to help calm Isaiah."

Knives nodded, not trusting his voice.

Milly's delivery room was controlled chaos. The men were ushered back out after Knives kept barking, "What sort of place of healing is this? She is no better than when she got here!"

"Shut up, Knives!" Meryl snapped. "You're not helping!"

The same motherly nurse that Knives had met upon his arrival took each man by the arm and steered them out the door. "Boys, labor is an intense process and it often takes hours. Now, Millie needs to stay as relaxed as possible, so if you can't stay calm for her, it's best if you just wait outside."

With those firm words, she pressed them onto a bench in the hall and hurried back into the delivery room. Knives felt he should be offended at the way that woman dared speak to him but he couldn't seem to manage it. The waves of pain and stress coming from the small room were making him sick.

Vash sent as many calming and soothing thoughts to the baby as he could, but little Wolfwood wasn't cooperating. Isaiah responded to his overtures with waves of emotion that would have translated to swears if the baby's vocabulary had advanced that far. At one point, Vash could have sworn he heard the echo of Wolfwood screaming "What the fuck?" in the baby's frantic queries.

Vash tried again. _:You have to come out. You can't stay in there.:_

Isaiah sent a questioning thought.

_:Yep, me and Knives will be here. We'll help your mommy get through this.:_

They went back into the delivery room a few hours later when Millie began to scream. Meryl was holding back cries of her own; Millie had a hell of a grip.

Vash switched places with her, figuring that even Millie couldn't crush his prosthesis.

He hoped.

* * *

"Come on, Millie. You can do this; you're doing so well! Come on, partner." Meryl urged, wiping the sweat from her friend's forehead.

Millie broke off in the middle of another scream. "I can't! I can't!" she whimpered. "I want Mr. Wolfwood."

"I know, Millie, I know." Meryl brushed away some of the strands of hair plastered to Millie's face, doing what she could to make her more comfortable.

On the other side of the bed, Vash swallowed around the lump in his throat and bent over to press his forehead against Millie's temple. "Come on, big girl. You've been strong enough to support us all when we needed it, and I know you can do this," he murmured.

"Keep pushing, Millie, you're doing great," the doctor ordered. "Catch your breath while we wait for the next contraction."

It was harrowing; Millie screamed as she pushed, then whimpered for her child's father in between contractions, as she tried to catch her breath.

Finally, the nurse called, "I can see the head! You can do it, honey, not much more to go!"

Knives took one look at the baby coming out of Millie's body, and passed out against the wall.

"I see the shoulders! One last big push, Millie, come on!"

Millie's beet-red face contorted with effort as she bore down.

"NICHOLAS!"

With Millie's last effort, the baby's shoulders came out and the nurse was able to pull Isaiah David the rest of the way into the world.

For a moment, the only sound was Millie's harsh breathing, and then her son's cry broke through the air. The tension in the room dissipated, and happy sobs and laughter were heard from all. Meryl and Vash carefully embraced Millie from either side.

The doctor cut the cord and the nurse cleaned the baby while the doctor dealt with the afterbirth.

"My baby," Millie said weakly. "May I see him?"

With a broad smile, the nurse came around the side of the bed, reaching over Meryl. "Here you are, Millie. A healthy baby boy."

As Millie cried tears of joy, Vash and Meryl looked across the bed at each other with soft smiles.

* * *

While Millie slept and Vash helped resuscitate his brother in a room across the hall, ("Legato used to dream about the gates of hell, Vash, and I swear, that's what it looked like!"), Meryl was holding baby Isaiah.

Now that he was asleep, his face had relaxed from the stress of birth. Translucent eyelids were lowered over cloudy dark eyes. His tiny head was covered with dark fuzz, and his features were baby soft. He didn't resemble either of his parents at the moment.

"You're a pretty lucky guy, you know that?" Meryl said softly. "You've got the best mommy in the world. And a big friendly family; the rest of the Thompsons will love you."

She looked up at a noise in the doorway. Vash was standing there with a tender look. He walked over and traced a finger over the baby's head. Isaiah's mouth puckered for a moment, but he didn't awaken.

"You know what else? You've got an aunt and uncle here who will tell you about what a good man your daddy was. We'll make sure you have all the choices he tried to give other children." Vash smiled as he spoke.

Meryl blinked back tears, and pressed a kiss to the baby's head. "Ready?" she asked.

He nodded. As she stood up, he took the baby from her and held him close before placing him back in his crib. They left the room quietly in order not to wake Millie.

The moons were well up in the sky as they made their way back to the house. Since they had never finished unpacking the truck, they went back to the old place. Meryl automatically went to the room she shared with Millie and undressed. She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Meryl?" Vash called through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," she yawned.

He came in, wearing his usual raggedy sweats. "Do you mind if we, well…"

Meryl gave a wry grin. "I'm not really up to anything tonight, Vash."

"No, I meant just sleep. Together. That's all." He stumbled over the words.

She smiled. "I'd really like that." She pulled back the covers, and he turned off the light before making his way across the dark room to her bed.

Vash slid into bed behind her, and pulled her up close against him. She was tired enough to go straight to sleep, but Vash held himself so rigidly that it was impossible to relax.

"What's wrong?" she asked sleepily.

Vash was silent for a moment before pulling her tighter against him. "I miss him so much."

Meryl turned in his arms and traced a hand down his cheek, finding it wet with tears.

"I know. I miss him too." She stroked Vash's hair as he sobbed in her arms. After a while, his sniffles began to die away, and she felt his body truly relax. His breathing evened out, and Meryl knew he was falling asleep.

"He's a beautiful baby, isn't he?" Vash asked drowsily.

"He is. Just like his parents."


End file.
